


?mLLS« 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



CliapF4-f^ Copyriglit No 

SlieltVvV-5-V\-lb 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE STORY 



OF THE 



miim KESEWE Of MECTIT 



BY 



'y 



WILLIAM STOWELL MILLS, LL. B. 

Author of "I^eaves from Genealogical Treeg " ; " Foundations of Genealogy," etc, 



Printed for the Author 



Brown & Wilson Press 

38 Beekman Sxreet 

New York 



,.^y 



17701 

Library of Cooare«« 

Two Copies Receweo 
JUL 11 1900 

SECOW) COPY. 
0R0i4i (MVtSiON, 

JUL 12 1900 

Copyright 1900. 
New York. 



•:i024 



CHAPTER I.. GENERAL. 

Its Origin; 

Its Traditions ; 
Its History ; 

Its Geography ; 
Its Geology ; 
Its People. 



DEDICATION. 

This book is dedicated to the descendants of the men and wonren 
who braved the dangers of pioneer life on the Western Reserve of 
Connecticut ; who cleared its forests, founded and fostered its homes, 
tilled its fertile farms, established its government, and provided for the 
education of its people. 

July 10, 1900 — the one hundredth anniversary of the organization of 
the entire Reserve into a unit of government, viz. : Trumbull County. 

North Madison, 

Lake County, 
Ohio. 



LOCATION. 

The Western Reserve of Connecticut comprises the north- 
east corner of the State of Ohio. It is a parallelogram in 
shape, extending TIJ miles north from the 41st parallel of 
latitude, and 120 miles west from the boundary line of 
Pennsylvania. About one-third of the area of this parallelo- 
gram is in Lake Erie. 



6 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

THE PURPOSE. 

This volume is intended to present in a convenient form, 
gathered from many sources, the leading facts concerning 
the Western Reserve of Connecticut. 

There is no book that treats the subject in this way, and 
it is therefore believed that such a work will be of general 
interest, not only to the present residents of this Paradise 
of Ohio, to whom it is addressed ; but also to those whose 
early lives were spent here, and to whom now, as they 
wander far from the old home, ''Fond memory brings the 
light of other days." 

We who reap where others sowed can enter into the full 
appreciation and enjoyment of our possessions only 
through a study of the conditions that have made those 
possessions possible. This book is an introduction to that 
profitable and inspiring study. 

EARLY WORKERS. 

For much of their knowledge of the early days on the 
Reserve, and particularly of early Cleveland, readers of 
history are indebted to Col. Charles Whittlesey, Judge C. 
C. Baldwin, Hon. Harvey Rice, and others. The adven- 
tures, privations, and fortitude of the early settlers have 
been pictured by these writers in a style that is highly en- 
tertaining. To a full and unreserved acknowledgment of 
the help afforded by the researches of these pioneers in the 
field, it is not necessary to add an apology for attempting, 
not a repetition of what they have so well done ; but a 
work of somewhat broader scope, and therefore, of more 
general interest. 



THK WESTKKN KKSDKVK. 7 

OHIO AND THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORY. 

As territory, the Reserve is only a corner of a state ; but 
that state has been, for more than a hundred years, a gate- 
way to the great west ; indeed, during the first half of the 
nineteenth century Ohio was considered as ''out west." 
Many home-seekers, migrating from the Eastern States, 
settled here for a term of years— lingered at the gateway— 
before going to the "far west." Ohio was a part of the 
tract vaguely known in Revolutionary times as the North- 
west Territory, lying in two outstretched arms, the Missis- 
sippi and the Ohio Rivers. In this territory the founda- 
tions of five great commonwealths were laid. 

This expanse of virgin beauty and golden promise in- 
spired legislators to the enactment of the Ordinance of 1787, 
a body of laws which in some respects constitutes an epoch 
in the history of law-making. Of this ordinance Daniel 
Webster said, " I doubt whether one single law of any law- 
giver, ancient or modern, has produced effects of more dis- 
tinct, marked, and lasting character than the Ordinance of 
1787." 

MODERN METHODS OF STUDY. 

The settlement and growth of any territory or community 
are closely connected with what occurred previous to their 
time, and one who undertakes to record their history must 
not ignore this fact. The modern student of history recog- 
nizes a logic of events, and perceives its application to the 
smallest territory and to the most commonplace incidents 

The Western Reserve is but a small part of the Great 
West ; yet its peculiar history gives it a claim upon our at- 



8 THE WESTERN RE.SERVE. 

tent ion. Special study of it may have the tendency to 
magnify its importance ; but the broad, impartial student 
will consider it relatively. The history of our farms and 
city lots may be profitably studied if we extend our 
historical horizon beyond the geographical outlook of the 
city-bred young woman who had just learned that her 
father' s back yard was a part of the earth' s surface. 

THE TREATMENT OF THE SUBJECT. 

This work takes the narrative form, and the divisions 
cannot, therefore, be made the titles of separate chapters. 
To treat each division as a distinct subject would be to 
work contrary to the law of relation. This law is funda- 
mental to all profitable study, and in pursuance of it, the 
topics will be rightly understood. 

Local references have been excluded, excepting such as 
point out events that were pivotal, or that led to momentous 
and wide-spread consequences ; such events being of 
interest to the people of the entire Reserve. 

The author claims no discoveries of his own ; but merely 
relates what has come within his observation and reading. 
Historical statements are true to record, and scientific con- 
clusions are in accord with the latest and most trustworthy 
research. The aim has been to court brevity, so far as it 
could be made consistent with clearness, and the presenta- 
tion of the facts most worth knowing. Those who would 
pursue further study will find a list of works in the clos- 
ing pages of the book. 

^ It has not been the ambition of the author to produce an 
exhaustive work ; but to treat an interesting subject in a 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



familiar way. He does not claim that the book is x)erfect, 
nor that it contains all that can be said on the subject ; 
but he does claim the opportunity of testifying to his love 
for the Western Reserve. 

MAKING THE MAP. 

Maps usually convey to the eye more definite knowledge 
than mere words can impart. A region may be studied in 
less time with a map than without one ; yet, for our pur- 
pose, a special map of the Reserve is not necessary. A 
county, which is a unit of government, may be separated 
from adjacent counties in a map of its own ; but a portion 
of territory like the Reserve, not under separate govern- 
ment, should be studied in its relation to the common- 
wealth of which it is a part. If it is to be distinguished 
from other portions of the state, a few lines will suffice. 

1st. On a county map of Ohio, draw a straight line east- 
ward from the south-west corner of Huron County, along the 
southern boundary line of Medina and Portage Counties to 
the eastern boundary line of the state. You have drawn 
the southern boundary line of the Reserve. It takes in three 
townships— Sullivan, Troy, and Ruggles— in Ashland 
County, and cuts off two townships— Franklin and Green- 
in Summit County, and the southern five townships— about 
one third— of Mahoning County, viz.: Smith, Goshen, 
Green, Beaver, and Springfield. 

2d. From the same starting point, draw a straight line 
northward along the western boundary line of Huron and 
Erie Counties, across the eastern end of Ottawa County, to a 
point a little farther north than the Isle of St. George (or 
North Bass Island). This is the western boundary line of 



lO THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

the Reserve. It cuts a little off the north-west corner of Erie 
County, and includes the townships : Danbury, Catawba 
Island, and Put-in-Bay (Wine Islands, ten in number) in 
Ottawa County, and Kelley's Island, in Erie County. Two 
miles north-west of Rattlesnake Island, and a little to the 
west of this line, is tlie spot where the brave Perry won his 
celebrated victory over the English fleet, September 10, 
1813. 

These boundary lines of the Reserve may easily be 
drawn on other than a county map if it be carefully noted 
that the southern boundary line very nearly coincides with 
the 41st parallel of latitude, and the western boundary 
line intersects the village of Bellevue. 

THE RESERVE PARALLELOGRAM. 

Extend the eastern boundary line of Ohio northward a 
short distance into Lake Erie (more exactly, to a point 3| 
miles from the shore) and you have found the north-east 
corner of the Reserve. Draw a curved line from the north 
end of the w^estern boundary line of the Reserve around the 
south end of Point Pelee Island, thence north-eastward to a 
point as far north as the corner of the Reserve just deter- 
mined, and connect this point with the corner, and you 
have enclosed the Reserve parallelogram, which is com- 
plete, with the exception of this north-west corner — cut off 
to exclude Point Pelee Island, a British possession. This 
parallelogram is 120 miles long, and 71J miles wide, with 
nearly one-third of its area in Lake Erie. 

ORIGINAL LAND TRACTS IN OHIO. 

There were six great tracts within the limits of Ohio, 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 11 

from which sales were first made to individual settlers. In 
the order of size, beginning with the largest, they were as 
follows : 

1. Congress Lands — sold directly by the United States 
Government to individuals. 

2. Virginia Military Lands— Virginia's Reserve, for the 
benefit of her State troops. As this tract was never sur- 
veyed by the Government, legal disputes as to boundary 
lines between owners were frequent. 

3. The Western Reserve of Connecticut. 

4. United States Military Lands— appropriated by the 
government to officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary 
War. 

5. Ohio Company's Purchase— bought in 1787 by the 
Ohio Company, composed of Massachusetts people from 
Ipswich and adjacent towns, who made the first settlement 
in Ohio, at Marietta, 1788, landing from a boat named the 
Mayflower. 

6. Symmes Purchase— bought by John Cleves Symmes, 
in 1794. 

There were several smaller tracts, but they were origin- 
ally included within those named. 

THE RESERVE COMPARED IN AREA. 

The Reserve is the same in width as the widest part of 
Connecticut, viz.: 1^ 2/, or very nearly 71i miles. Its 
eastern boundary line is 68 miles on land, and 3^ miles 
in Lake Erie. Augustus Porter, principal surveyor in 
1796, gave 3,450,7^)3 acres as the area of the Reserve. He 
acknowledged that there might be '^an error of a few 



12 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

thousand acres.'' His work was thoroughly examined by 
a Yale College mathematician, but no material error was 
found. 

If it be reckoned from the number of square miles 
claimed by the different counties, the land area of the Re- 
serve is found to be about 5280 square miles, nearly 6% 
greater than the mother state, Connecticut. A careful 
calculation made several years ago by Mr. Leonard Case, 
gave about 70 square miles less than this, but his estimate 
was admitted to be below the correct area. There are three 
states in our Union that are smaller than the Reserve, 
which latter is nearly 13% of the area of Ohio. The follow- 
ing comparison gives an idea of the size of the Reserve 
relative to other important areas. Of the fourteen states 
smaller than Ohio, only three are here given, viz.: those 
that are smaller than the Reserve. 

TABLE OF LAND AREAS SMALLER THAN OHIO. 

Gross Area 
in Square Miles. 

Bermuda Islands 24 

Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney Islands, together. . 73 

Isle of Wight 154 

Isle of Man 282 

Shetland Islands 325 

Orkney Islands 610 

State of Rhode Island 1,250 

Long Island, N. Y 1,682 

Samoa Islands 1,701 

Trinidad Island 1,754 

State of Delaware 2,050 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 13 

Canary Islands 2,808 

Island of Puerto Rico 3,550 

Island of Jamaica 4,220^' 

State of Connecticut 4,990 

Western Reserve of Connecticut 5,280 

Bahama Islands , 5,450 > 

Palestine (Before Christ) 6,525 

Hawaiian Islands 6,640 

Wales 7,397 

Fiji Islands 7,740 

The Netherlands 12,648 

Switzerland 15,976 

Modern Greece 19,353 

Island of Santo Domingo 28,249 

Scotland 30,462 

Ireland 32,524 

Island of Cuba 36,013 

Iceland 39,207 

Island of Newfoundland 40,200 

Luzon (largest island of the Philippines) 41,000 

State of Ohio 41,060 



A DIVIDING LINE. 

As early as 1726, the Guyahoga River and the Portage — 
an Indian trail, leading from that river to the Tuscarawas 
River, and passing near the present site of Akron — were 
considered as a dividing line between the domains of 
different Indian tribes, and when the first white men took 
possession of the Reserve, this line w^as recognized as 
dividing the eastern part of the Reserve from the western. 



14 THE WE.STERN RESERVE. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN OHIO. 

Compared with beginnings of towns in other parts of the 
state, the settlement of north-eastern Ohio was late ; that 
on the Reserve being fourth. 

PLACES. DATES. BY SETTLERS FROM 

Marietta, April, 1788, Massachusetts. 

Cincinnati, August, 1788. New Jersey. 

Manchester, 1790. Virginia. 

Conneaut and Cleveland, 1796. Connecticut. 

EARLY COUNTIES. 

The counties formed in the early history of Ohio 
covered much more territory than they do now. Sections 
of their original domain have been cut off from time to time 
to form new counties. The part of the Reserve east of the 
Cuyahoga River and the Portage, was 'in Washington 
County, the first county in the state, organized July 26, 
1788. The Reserve west of that line was a part of Wayne 
County, the third county in the state, organized August 
15, 1796. The eastern part of the Reserve was taken from 
Washington County and made a part of Jefferson County, 
organized July 29, 1797. 

NEW CONNECTICUT AS A COUNTY. 

The Reserve was in Wayne and Jefferson Counties until 
July 10, 1800. On that date, Arthur St. Clair, Governor of 
the North- West Territory, and the first Governor of Ohio, or- 
ganized the entire Reserve into one county, which took the 
name, Trumbull County, in honor of Jonathan Trumbull, 
then Governor of Connecticut. Governor Trumbull be- 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. IS 

longed to a large and iniiaential Connecticut family, and 
had been a firm friend and helpful adviser of General 
Washington, who, it is said, was accustomed to speaking 
of him as "Brother Jonathan.-' Trumbull County was 
divided into eight townships, and Warren was made the 
county seat. These townships were east of the Cuyahoga 
River and the Portage. That part of the Reserve west of 
the dividing line took the name of Cleveland Township, al- 
though it was still claimed by the Indians, and, therefore, 
not yet organized, or even surveyed. Following are the 
names of the townships, in relative position as they would 
appear on a map. 

TOWNSHIPS OF THE ORIGINAL TRUMBULL COUNTY. 

Richfield. 
Painesville. 
Cleveland. 

Middlefield. 

Vernon. 
Cleveland. Warren, 

(unsurveyed) 

Hudson. Youngstown. 

GOVERNMENT IN THE NEW COUNTY. . 

For more than five years, the Reserve continued as one 
county — Trumbull. The men selected for public service in 
the beginning of any government have claims to special 
notice, as their administration determines the character and 
influence of the new organization in public councils. In 
the territorial legislation of Ohio, the first representative 
from the Reserve, 1801-2, was Gen. Edward Paine, a man 



16 THE WE.STERN RESERVE. 

of probity and enterprise. In his honor the township of 
Painesville (now in Lake County) was named, and later, 
his fellow-townsmen gave further expression of esteem 
for him by naming their central village Painesville. This 
was indeed, an added honor, as the village had been named 
Champion — from Henry Champion, who had laid out its 
streets and lots, and who was one of the directors of the 
Connecticut Land Company, a prominent land owner, and 
a brother of Moses Cleaveland's wife. That Gen. Paine 
could so forcibly impress his character upon his fellow- 
citizens was proof that he possessed the qualities of a 
trustworthy representative. 

The first Associate Judges of Trumbull County were : 
John Walworth, of Painesville, who settled there in 1800 ; 
S olomon Griswold, a pioneer of Windso r (now in Ashta- 
bula County) who went there in 1799 ; and Calvin Austin, 
of Youngstown (now in Mahoning County). 

The first constitution of the State of Ohio was adopted 
Nov. 29, 1802. At the convention for framing that docu- 
ment there were 36 delegates, of whom two were from the 
Reserve, viz.: Samuel Huntington, at that time residing in 
Cleveland (n9w in Cuyahoga County) and who was 
Governor of the State in 1808 ; and David Abbott, who 
came to the Reserve in 1798, and settled first in Willough- 
by (now in Lake County). David Abbott was also sheriff' 
of the new county of Trumbull. 

The foundations of government in the Reserve were laid 
with strength, clearness of vision, and righteous purpose ; 
and to this her people may attribute no small measure of 
their achievement during the past century. 



THE WP:STERN reserve. 17 

EARLY OCCUPANTS OF THE LAND. 

At this point in our story it will be profitable to. turn 
backward three centuries and follow, in outline, the course 
of events that led to the possibility of a Western Reserve, 
and to trace the origin of those conflicting claims over 
which so many disastrous battles were fought. 

When white men first touched the shores of America, 
more than four- hundred years ago, they found here a race 
of people whose personal appearance, ideas, and customs 
were so entirely new to them as to excite their wonder. 
The belief of the Europeans that they were in India, led to 
the name Indians^ as applied to the natives of America. 

THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRST AMERICANS. 

The origin of the North American Indian is veiled in 
mystery. There have been numerous conjectures and 
theories concerning his relationship to other natives of the 
Western Continent. Whether he was the descendant of 
the Mound Builders, or of their conquerors and supplant- 
ers, is still a subject of study. More extensive excavations 
will, no doubt, in time, be made, and the buried proofs con- 
cerning these people will be brought to light ; then the 
archaeologist will find his reward in a more complete 
knowledge of the primitive races of America. Scientists 
are now, however, quite agreed in one important con- 
clusion, viz.: that the carvings, ornamentations, tools, and 
weapons of the Esquimaux of to-day are evidences of their 
direct descent from the cave-men of prehistoric Europe. 

Investigations may yet prove that the Incas of South 
America, the Aztecs of Mexico, the Esquimaux, and the 
North American Indians, were all from the same stock, 



18 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

and that different conditions, and modes of life enforced by 
their surroundings, have caused the differences in personal 
appearance, ideas, and customs. 

STUDENTS OF INDIAN CHARACTER. 

We shall probably never know when or how the North 
American Indian came to this continent, nor what he was 
before that time ; but we do know much of what he has 
been within the past four hundred years. His character- 
istics have been faithfully portrayed ; yet care must be ex- 
ercised, if one would ffnd a true description of him. Fiction 
abounds in pictures that are inadequate and misleading. 
Novelists have indulged in sentimentalism, a medium 
which fails to convey a true idea of the character of the 
Red Man. In addition to those invaluable records known 
as " The Jesuit Relations," describing the early savages of 
America, literature has been enriched by the work of more 
than a score of genuine students of Indian character and 
habits. Among these are Schoolcraft, Morgan, Powell, 
Gallatin, Golden, Mason, Thatcher, Catlin, Charlevoix, 
Drake, Grinnell, Clark, Mallory, Hadley, Heckewelder, 
Champlain, Matthews, Hale, Dorsey, Loskiel and others ; 
but foremost in the list should be the name of Francis 
Parkman, who, in power to analyze character, and to dis- 
close the hidden springs of human motive, as exhibited in 
the American Indian, had no equal. It would be aside 
from the scope of this book to undertake a full presenta- 
tion of the work of this remarkable writer. He is recog- 
nized by all critics— notably by Prof. John Fiske— as hav- 
ing given from his own observations and experiences— hav- 
ing actually lived with one of the tribes— a just conception 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 19 

of the Indian Race— the living representatives of tlie Stone 
Age. The Indian of primitive America has gone, never to 
return ; and the investigations of Parkman cannot be re- 
peated. These facts and his inimitable style as a historian, 
impart to his work a special value. To a comprehensive 
grasp of the history of the Nortli-west, wliich may be con- 
sidered as the second scene in the drama of civilization, 
within what is now the United States, a knowledge of Mr. 
Parkman' s works is well-nigh indispensable. The Western 
Reserve was a part of this territory. The Indian gave his 
life in battle for his native groves. The best talent of his 
race here spent itself in the hope of preserving the land in 
its original beauty, as the home given him by Nature, the 
only God he knew. Among the Indians were men, who, 
judged even by our standards, had capabilities of a high 
order. A few noted individuals, whose natural abilities 
made them chiefs, were the following : 

Philip Pometacom, a Wampanoag, son of Massasoit, of 
Pilgrim fame — southern New England — killed in 1676. 

Pontiac— an Ottawa— Northern Ohio, 1712-1769. 

Tecumseh— a Shawanee— Ohio, 1770-1813. 

Brant-Thayendaneca— a Mohawk — Eastern New York, 
1742-1807. 

Red-Jacket — Sagoyewatha — a Seneca — Western New 
York, 1752-1830. 

Black Hawk— a Pottowattomie— Illinois, 1768-1838. 

Logan — a Cayuga — Illinois and Michigan, 1720-1780. 

Equal to any, if not superior to all others in power over 
his followers, was Pontiac, whom history first mentions by 
name as coming in contact with white men on the Western 
Reserve, in November, 1760, although circumstances 



20 THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 

indicate tliat lie was an active leader as early as 1746. 

THE RIGHTS OF THE RED MAN. 

A discussion, at this late day, of the comparative rights 
of the Indian and the white man, to the soil of America, 
would be idle. In the march of civilization the earth is in- 
herited by the intelligent and progressive. As between the 
civilized and the savage or inhuman, the wisdom and benef- 
icence of its use constitute the complete justification of its 
conquerors. That this is as true of nations as it is of individ- 
nals, has been proved in these last days of the nineteenth 
century, by a Power, of whose control man has not always 
been conscious. 

Although the claim of the Indians to the soil of the 
Western Reserve was purely traditional, it was fortified by 
actual possession, and was, for that reason, the most in- 
vincible barrier to the progress of settlement by white men 
in the early days. The relation of the Indian, as a claim- 
ant, to others who asserted ownership, can best be shown 
by presenting in historical review all the claims that were 
made prior to the year 1805, or before peaceable settlement 
could be effected on the Western Reserve. 

A TANGLE OF TITLES. 

The right to occupy your farm was conferred by a deed 
from the owner next preceding you ; and that owner ob- 
tained his right in the same way. The title to the farm 
might be traced back to the first individual purchaser, and 
it would be found that before the first owner made his pur- 
chase, the land of the Reserve (of which your farm is a part) 
with the exception of Huron and Erie Counties, and the 



THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 21 

Parsons Tract, was claimed by eleven (and that of the ex- 
ceptions specified, by ten) different powers. 

From our knowledge of this country, of its extent, and 
of the dangers attending the efforts to enforce them, we 
may think these claims preposterous ; but those who made 
them were in earnest and were ready to wage war in their 
defence. These claims, in the order in which they origin- 
ated, or were first asserted, were as follows : 

1. England. — By virtue of the discoveries of the Cabots, 
1497-8, England claimed the continent of North America, 
and, after ''a half -century of conflict" with France, defeated 
the French army at Quebec in 1759. The result was the 
Treaty of Paris, 1763, by which England obtained the own- 
ership, so far as France was concerned, of all the North and 
West that was not ceded to her by France in the treaty of 
Utrecht, 1713. England held this territory for twenty 
years, and by treaty, in 1783, signed at Paris, she ceded to 
the United American Colonies all that part of the North- 
west which is now within the United States. 

2. France. — By virtue of the discoveries and explorations 
of Cartier, 1534, and of the subsequent voyages of Cham- 
plain and the indomitable La Salle, France claimed the 
entire country from the Alleghany Mountains to the 
Mississippi River. 

By means of forts, as centers of supplies, and the work 
of missionaries among the Indians, France hoped to secure 
the aid of all the tribes. However, the battle at Quebec, 
1759, decided the issue in favor of England. 

In determining authority in the Western World, war be- 
tween these powers was inevitable. Here was a battle- 



22 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

ground between two nations that were at variance in almost 
every phase of governmental policy. The conflict would 
have been shorter had England and France been the only 
contestants. The presence of a third one, the native of 
the soil, who had more at stake than either of che others, 
lent an interest to the struggle which attaches to no other 
conflict in the history of the world. There was no land 
granted, either to an individual or a colony ; no pathway 
opened by a discoverer ; no spot on which a settler would 
build a home, to which the Indian did not interpose a 
claim with a force which compelled consideration. He 
laughed at the presumption that would sweep away his 
rights with the mere stroke of a pen. England and France 
found in him both a friend to win, and a foe to conquer. 

To set forth the acting in this great drama was the life- 
work of Francis Parkman. It occupied him for a period 
of nearly fifty years. Under the general title: "France 
and England in North America," he presented the conten- 
tion of these forces with a graphic power that has never 
been excelled. One who would comprehend the great 
struggle will be interested in the following outline table of 
Mr. Parkman' s works. The twelve volumes are a monu- 
ment to his fitness for the task ; to his tenacity of purpose ; 
to his penetrating study of Indian character ; and to the 
broad impartiality with which he treated religious concep- 
tions radically at variance with his own personal beliefs. 
Both the man and his work are marvelous in character. 



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24 THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 

3. Virginia. — The colony of Virginia received in 1609, 
by charter from King James I, a grant of land extending 
from the Atlantic coast to the west and north-west, as far 
as the Pacific Ocean. She insisted upon her western claim 
(which included all the present State of Ohio) until 1784, 
when she relinquished it to the United American Colonies, 
excepting a tract in the south central part of what is now 
Ohio, which she resented as the Virginia Military Lands. 

4. Massachusetts. — The Colony of Massachusetts re- 
ceived in 1620, by charter from James I, and, also, in 1628 
from Charles I, a strip of land extending from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific. She relinquished the western claim, to the 
United American Colonies in 1785. 

5. Erie Indians.— Before 1655, the land of the Reserve 
was in the possession of the Erie Indians. When they first 
laid claim to it, or how long they had controlled it, is not 
known. 

6. Iroquois Indians.— These tribes, knowm as the Five 
Nations, completely exterminated the Eries in 1655, and 
became owners of the country south of, and bordering on. 
Lake Erie. In 1726 they ceded to the English a strip of 
land on the south shore of Lake Erie, sixty miles in width, 
and extending westward as far as the Cuyahoga Eiver and 
the Portage to the Tuscarawas River. This included the 
eastern part of our Reserve. 

A PowEHFUL League.— Considered in respect to the 
number of individuals of which it was composed, the 
League of the Iroquois, or Five Nations— increased to six 
in 1715— was the most formidable organization of purely 



THE WHvSTKKN KKSKRVK. 



savage forces the world has ever known. When their 
union was formed has not been certainly determined, 
though it is believed to have been begun before 1550. It 
was complete as early as 1609, and their power was at its 
height about 1700. 

They occupied what is now New York State, between the 
Hudson and the Genesee Rivers till 1655, when they ex- 
tended their control along the lakes, at least as far west as 
the Cuyahoga River. In courage, general intelligence, and 
cunning in war, they excelled all other tribes, and their 
very name was a terror to all within a thousand miles of 
them. Their trail or highway of travel, was from the Hud- 
son River to Lake Erie, where is now the New York 
Central Railroad. It was originally the path worn by ani- 
mals journeying to the salt-licks of Syracuse. Its growth 
from a deer-path to a four-track railway is indeed a work 
of evolution. The League of the Long House, as they 
called themselves, furnishes the best subject for the study 
of the American Indian. 

7. Tribes in Common.— At some time prior to 1760, and 
presumably after 1726, the Reserve became part of territory 
claimed by a number of tribes in common, among which 
were the Ottawas, Chippewas, Delawares, and Wyandots. 
In 1760 these joint claimants were under thvi leadership of 
the noted Ottawa chief, Pontiac. In the fall of this year, 
Major Robert Rogers, with a band of about two hundred 
'•rangers," was sent by the English to take command of 
the fort at Detroit. On the way, the lake being rough, he 
was compelled to land, and on the 7th of November, 
drew ashore at the mouth of what is now the Grand River, 



26 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

which lie called the Chogage — an early form of the 
name Geauga, by which the river was once known. Dur- 
ing the night, a delegation of Indian warriors visited him, 
with information that their chief would soon pay him a 
visit. Before morning the chief arrived and demanded an 
exj)lanation of the appearance of the white men in his ter- 
ritory without invitation or permission. Rogers explained 
that his destination was Detroit, where he was ordered to 
assume control of a post that had so recently been occu- 
pied by their common enemy; that he was in a land be- 
longing to his King, and not to Pontiac's people. In 
reply to the chief's defiant tone he was politic, yet fearless 
in manner. Pontiac deferred till morning any promise of 
safety, and informed Rogers that the Indians would stand 
in the path of the white men till the next day, when he 
should return for further consultation. He kept his 
promise, returning early the next morning, and gave Rogers 
permission to pass through his domains ; but it was five 
days before the storm subsided and the lake was safe for 
the voyagers. During these days, Pontiac visited the 
camp several times, taking the opportunity to ask ques- 
ions concerning the mode of life and warfare of the white 
men. A second landing was made on account of storm, 
this time at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, where they 
were delayed two days before being able to proceed on 
their way to Detroit. 

This is the first mention by name, that history makes of 
Pontiac. There was at this time an Ottawa village on the 
right bank of the Cuyahoga River about ten miles from 
its mouth. No sail could float the waters of Lake Erie 
unobserved in those days. The horizon was scanned by 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 27 

Iniriters, warriors, or reconnoitering bands at almost every 
hour of the day. It was about this time tliat Pontiac 
plotted that series of maneuvers with the purpose of exter- 
minating the English, or driving them from the land. The 
task, though a hopeless one, was creditable to the abilities 
of Pontiac, of whom more honorable mention can be made 
than of Rogers ; for, mere savage, though Pontiac was, he 
proved faithful to his people to the very last. He fell a 
victim of jealousy, being murdered by a treacherous Indian 
in the Illinois country in 1769. 

The Indian tribes claiming the Reserve had made a treaty 
in 1785, and had ratified it in 1789. Failing to keep their 
agreement, and having become hostile, they were defeated 
by General Wayne in a great battle, 1794, and compelled 
to re-confirm their treaty, by which they gave to the United 
States their right to the land east of the Cuyahoga River. 
The part of the Reserve west of the dividing line remained 
in possession of these tribes till July 4th, 1805, when it 
was ceded by treaty to the United States. This date marked 
the settler's independence of Indian dominion here, and 
put an end to all rights of the Indians to the lands of the 
Reserve. 

8. Connecticut, — In 1662, Charles II. granted to the 
colony of Connecticut, by charter, a strip of land which 
was in width, the same as Connecticut, and extended from 
her eastern boundary line westward to the Pacific Ocean. 
This grant, Connecticut persistently claimed until Septem- 
ber 14, 1786, when she ceded to the United American 
Colonies, all of it excepting this Western Reserve of Con- 
necticut. 



28 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

9. New York. — Two years later than the grant to Con- 
necticut, viz.: 1664, this same Charles II, granted to his 
brother, James, Duke of York, a strip of land from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific. It included what had before been 
given to Connecticut. This land New York ceded to the 
United Colonies in 1780. 

10. The United Colonies.— In 1783, as a result of the 
Revolutionary War, England, by treaty, ceded her right 
of territory to the United American Colonies. Thus, what 
was known as the North-west Territory, or such of it as 
England could rightfully give, came into possession of the 
general government. The United States succeeded to the 
rights of the United Colonies, and on April 28, 1800, the 
United States ceded to Connecticut the riglit to the soil of 
the Reserve but retained the riglit of civil Jurisdiction 
over it. 

In May, 1792, Connecticut donated that part of the Re- 
serve now included in Huron and Erie Counties, to such of 
her citizens as might desire to avail themselves of the offer, 
and who had met with loss of property, when the British, 
in the last years of the Revolutionary War, set fire to the 
homes of so many Connecticut families. These were the 
first lands in the Reserve to be apportioned to individual 
owners— though the last to be settled— and were called 
''Fire Lands," and ''Sufferers' Lands." 

11. Connecticut Land Company.— On the 5th of Sep- 
tember, 1795, the State of _Coi mecticut sold to the Co aimi;- 
trcnt^^andr^Companyiall the lands of the Reserve except - 
ing what naSTbeen given to the sufferers, and a small tract 
in the Mahoning Valley, known as the "Salt Tract," 



THE WESTEkN RESERVE. 29 

which had been sold to General Parsons. From time to 
time this company sold the land to individuals for actual 
settlement. 

CLAIMANTS CLASSIFIED. 

1. Those whose right was based upon possession, resi- 
dence, actual occupation. — The American Indians. 

2. Those whose claims were founded on discovery and 
exploration. — Foreign powers : France and England. 

3. Those to whom/ree grants had been made. — Ameri- 
can Colonies : Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and 
Virginia ; also individual grantees of "Fire Lands," 

4. Those whose rights were obtained by treaty. — The 
United American Colonies, and England, whose right was 
regained from the claim of France. 

5. Those who claimed by right ol purchase. — The Con- 
necticut Land Company. 

THE CLAIMS OUTLINED. 

1. England, 1497-98, and 1763 to 1783. 

2. France, 1534, 1609, and 1666 to 1687. 

3. Virginia, 1609 to 1784. 

4. Massachusetts, 1620 ; 1628 to 1785. 

5. Erie Indians, prior to 1655. 

6. Iroquois Indians, 1655 to 1726. 

7. Indian Tribes in Common, to 1794 (after 1726); and 1805. 

8. Connecticut, 1662 to 1792, and 1795. 

9. New York, 1664 to 1780. 



so THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

10. The United Colonies, and the United States, 1783 to 
1800. 

11. The Connecticut Land Company, 1795 to dates of sale 
to actual settlers. 

Here is a strange conflict of interests. Even if it were 
possible to unravel the tangle, the task vrould not be profit- 
able. It will be seen that, with the exception of the Par- 
sons title, and the rights of the Indians to the western part 
of the Reserve, all claims to the soil were bought by the 
State of Connecticut on April 28th, 1800, when the United 
States conveyed what was recognized as a clear title. 

THE HOME OF THE INDIAN. 

The tragedy of his downfall adds to our interest in the 
American Indian as a claimant. While his foes were 
bickering over legal documents, he roamed here in 
wild freedom. With the exception of what has since 
been reclaimed from deep marshes, overgrown in the primi- 
tive days with impenetrable thicket, your farm has not a 
square rod of soil that did not receive the imprint of the 
Indian moccasin over and over again. 

In the solitude of the woods, the Red Man found a con- 
genial home. Upon the bounty of Nature he depended for 
existence, and in her recurring seasons he dimly recog- 
nized a hand unseen. In all nature there was nothing that 
equalled in sublimity the primeval American forest. Gigan- 
tic trees, towering above vines and shrubs, were reflected in 
the alternating shadow and sunlight by the limpid stream. 
The hum of insects and the swaying of the branches in the 
breeze murmured a low accompaniment to the singing of 



THE WKSTKRN RErtERVK. 31 

the birds, j)i'odncing a harmony that was broken only by 
the howl of the wolf, the scream of the wildcat, or the war- 
whoop of the Indian. Storms swept with unbridled fury 
over lake and forest, filling the beholder with a conscious- 
ness of majesty indescribable. Words cannot picture the 
beauty of the autumnal foliage in the days of virgin for- 
ests, nor depict the dreamy haze of the Indian summer. 

We cannot wonder at the Indian's dread of the white 
man. It has been said that an Indian hunter required fifty 
square miles from which to support his family ; while a 
white settler needed only fifty acres ; but from his acres the 
forest must be cut away ; and to prevent this destruction, 
the Indian fought for his home, the groves of his fathers. 

The history of Ohio in the last half of the eighteenth 
century is the record of a dreadful struggle. Treachery 
and murder were incidents of every day, and the cries of 
the victims of tomahawk and scalping knife, pierced 
the solitude from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The 
destruction of their hunting grounds by English set- 
tlers rendered this people particularly obnoxious to the In- 
dians. The French had been content with hunting, fishing, 
and trapping — occupations at once conducive to association 
and friendship through community of interests. The only 
negotiation proposed by the English was such as would de- 
prive the native of his lands, for which neither money nor 
trinkets could compensate him. There is no way of esti- 
mating what would have been the issue if the Frenchman, 
Champlain, had not made the needless assault upon the 
Mohawks in 1609, which ever after arrayed the Iroquois In- 
dians against the French people. 



82 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

THE TRADITION OF THE ERIES. 

Excepting their name, and their relationship as a tribe, 
all we know of the Indians of the Reserve prior to 1655 is 
tradition. 

From the early French missionaries we learn that a 
tribe known as the Eries owned and occupied the southern 
shore of the lake, which derived its name from them. The 
word Erie, in the Indian language, meant cat and is said 
to have been applied to the tribe because wildcats were 
abundant in this region. We may believe it to have been 
appropriate, as there are people now living who remember 
when wildcats were numerous in unfrequented parts of 
our woods. The village of the Eries was near the east end 
of the lake, probably a few miles west of the present site 
of Buffalo. They were a branch of the same stock as the 
Iroquois, and were equally as brave and warlike. The 
eastern border of their domain was the Genesee Kiver. 
Across this river from the Eries lived the Iroquois, or Five 
Nations, in order as follows : Senecas, Cayugas, Onon- 
dagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks. 

On a reserve near Buffalo, in 1845, lived a Seneca chief, 
Blacksnake, then believed to be more than a hundred years 
old. To several persons who visited him, Blacksnake re- 
lated the story of the overthrow of the Erie Indians. His 
account of it was corroborated by other chiefs, and was 
published by the Buffalo Commercial in July, 1845. 

The victor's story of an encounter is usually, and natur- 
ally, colored in favor of the narrator. Notwithstanding 
this, the rehearsal of the almost complete annihilation of 
the Eries by the Iroquois may be accepted as essentially 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. ' 8S 

correct. Tlie event is of interest as noting the earliest 
change of occupants of the Reserve of which we have any 
knowledge. 

THE ERIE TRAGEDY. 

''The Eries were the most powerful and warlike of all 
the Indian tribes. They resided at the foot of the Great 
Lake (Erie) where now stands the City of Buffalo, the In- 
dian name for which was ' Tu-shu-way.'' " 

" When the Eries heard of the confederation which was 
formed between the Mohawks, who resided in the valley of 
that name, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and 
the Senecas, who resided for the most part upon the shores 
and the outlets of the lakes bearing their names respectively, 
(called by the French, the Iroquois nation), they imagined 
it must be for some mischievous purpose. Although, con- 
fident of their superiority over any one of the tribes in- 
habiting the countries within the bounds of their knowl- 
edge, they dreaded the power of such combined forces. In 
order to satisfy themselves in regard to the character, dis- 
position, and power of those they considered their natural 
enemies, the Eries resorted to the following means" : 

'' They sent a friendly message to the Senecas, who were 
their nearest neighbors, inviting them to select one hundred 
of their most active, athletic young men, to play a game of 
ball, against the same number to be selected by the Eries, for 
a wager which should be considered worthy the occasion and 
the character of the great nation in whose behalf the offer 
was made." 

''The message was received and entertained in the most 
respectful manner. A council of the " Five Nations " was 



34 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

called, and the proposition fully discussed, and a messen- 
ger in due time despatched with the decision of the coun- 
cil, respectfully declining the challenge. This emboldened 
the Eries, and the next year the offer was renewed, and 
after being again considered, again formally declined. This 
was far from satisfying the proud lords of the "Great 
Lake," and the challenge was renewed the third time." 

*' The blood of the young Iroquois could no longer be re- 
strained. They importuned the old men to allow them to 
accept the challenge. The wise councils which had 
hitherto prevailed, at last gave way, and the challenge was 
accepted. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm with 
which each tribe sent forth its chosen champions for the 
contest. The only difficulty seemed to be to make a selec- 
tion, where all were so worthy. After much delay, one 
hundred of the flower of all the tribes were finally desig- 
nated, and the day for their departure was fixed. An ex- 
perienced chief was chosen as the leader of the party, 
whose orders the young men were strictly enjoined to 
obey. A grand council was called, and in the presence of 
the assembled multitude, the party was charged in the 
most solemn manner, to observe a pacific course of con- 
duct towards their competitors, and the nation whose 
guests they were to become, and to allow no provocation, 
however great, to be resented by any act of aggression on 
their part, but in all respects to acquit themselves worthy 
the representatives of a great and powerful people, anxious 
to cultivate peace and friendship with their neighbors." 

*' Under these solemn injunctions, the party took up its 
line of march for Tushuway. When the chosen band 
had arrived in the vicinity of the point of their destination, 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 88 

a messenger was sent forward to notify the Eries of their 
arrival, and the next day was set apart for their grand 
entree." 

"The elegant and athletic forms, the tasteful, yet not 
cumbrous dress, the dignified, noble bearing of their chief, 
and, more than all, the modest demeanor of the young 
warriors of the Iroquois party, won the admiration of all 
beholders. They brought no arms. Each one bore a bat, 
used to throw or strike a ball, tastefully ornamented, being 
a hickory stick about five feet long, bent over at the end, 
and a thong netting wove into the bow. After a day of 
repose and refreshment, all things were arranged for the 
contest. The chief of the Iroquois brought forward and 
deposited upon the ground, a large pile of elegantly 
wrought belts of wampum, costly jewels, silver bands, 
beautifully ornamented moccasins, and other articles of 
great value in the eyes of the sons of the forest, as the 
stake, or wager on the part of his people. These were 
carefully matched by the Eries with articles of equal value 
—article by article, tied together and again deposited on 
the pile." 

"The game began, and although contested with despera- 
tion and great skill by the Eries, was won by the Iroquois, 
and they bore off the prize in triumph— thus ended the first 
day." 

"The Iroquois having now accomplished the object of 
their visit, proposed to take their leave, but the chief of the 
Eries, addressing himself to their leader, said their young 
men, though fairly beaten in the game of ball, would not be 
satisfied unless they could have a foot race, and proposed 
to match ten of their number against an equal number of 



S6 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

the Iroquois party, whicli was assented to, and the Iro- 
quois were again victorious." 

*'The "Kaukwas", who resided on the Eighteen Mile 
Creek, being present as friends and allies of the Eries, now 
invited the Iroquois party to visit them before they re- 
turned home, and thither the whole party repaired. The 
chief of the Eries, as a last trial of the courage and prow- 
ess of his guests, proposed to select ten men, to be matched 
by an equal number of the Iroquois party, to wrestle, and 
that the victor should despatch his adversary on the spot, 
by braining him with a tomahawk, and bearing off his scalp 
as a trophy." 

'' This sanguinary proposition was not at all pleasing to 
the Iroquois ; they however concluded to accept the chal- 
lenge, with a determination, should they be victorious, not 
to execute the bloody part of the proposition. The cham- 
pions were accordingly chosen— a Seneca was the first to 
step into the ring, and threw his adversary, amid the 
shouts of the multitude. He stepped back and declined to 
execute his victim, who lay passive at his feet. As quick 
as thought, the chief of the Eries seized the tomahawk, 
and at a single blow scattered the brains of his vanquished 
warrior over the ground. His body was dragged away and 
another champion of the Eries presented himself. He was 
as quickly thrown by his more powerful antagonist of the 
Iroquois party, and as quickly dispatched by the infuri- 
ated chief. A^hird met the same fate." 

*' The chief of the Iroquois party, seeing the terrible ex- 
citement which agitated the multitude, gave a signal to re- 
treat. Every man obeyed the signal and in an instant they 
were out of sight." 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 37 

*'In two hours they arrived in Tushuway, gathered up 
the trophies of their victories, and were on their way home. 
This visit of the hundred warriors of the Five Nations, 
and its results, only served to increase the jealousy of the 
Eries, and to convince them that they had powerful rivals 
to contend with. It was no part of their policy to culti- 
vate friendship and strengthen their own power by culti- 
vating peace with other tribes." 

'' They knew of no mode of securing peace to themselves 
but by exterminating all who might oppose them ; but the 
combination of several powerful tribes, any of whom 
might be almost an equal match for them, and of whose 
personal prowess they had seen such an exhibition, in- 
spired the Eries with the most anxious forebodings. To 
cope with them collectively they saw was impossible. 
Their only hope, therefore, was in being able, by a vigor- 
ous and sudden movement, to destroy them in detail. With 
this in view, a powerful war party was immediately organ- 
ized to attack the Senecas, who resided at the foot of 
Seneca Lake, (the present site of Geneva), and along the 
banks of the Seneca River." 

"It happened that at this period there resided among the 
Eries a Seneca woman, who in early life had been taken 
prisoner, and had married a husband of the Erie tribe. He 
died and left her a widow without children, a stranger 
among strangers. Seeing the terrible note of preparation 
for a bloody onslaught upon her kindred and friends, she 
formed the resolution of apprising them of their danger. 
As soon as night set in, taking the course of the Niagara 
River, she traveled all night, and early next morning 
reached the shore of Lake Ontario. She jumped into a 



S8 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



canoe, which she found fastened to a tree, and boldly 
pushed into the open lake." 

"Coasting down the lake she arrived at the mouth of the 
Oswego River in the night, where a large settlement of the 
nation resided." 

" She directed her steps to the house of the head chief, 
and disclosed the object of her journey. She was secreted 
by the chief, and runners were dispatched to all the tribes, 
summoning them to meet immediately in council, which 
was held at Onondaga Hollow." 

"When all were convened the chief arose, and in the 
most solemn manner rehearsed a vision, in which he said a 
beautiful bird appeared to him, and told him that a great 
war party of the Eries was preparing to make a secret and 
sudden descent upon tJiem, and destroy them ; that noth- 
ing could save them but an immediate rally of all the war- 
riors of the Five Nations, to meet the enemy before they 
should be able to strike the blow. These solemn an- 
nouncements were heard in breathless silence. When the 
chief had finished and sat down, there arose one immense 
yell of menacing madness. The earth shook, when the 
mighty mass brandished high in the air their war clubs, 
and stamped the ground like furious beasts." 

"No time was to be lost ; a body of five thousand warriors 
was organized, and a corps of reserve, consisting of one thous- 
and young men who had never been in battle. The bravest 
chiefs from all the tribes were put in command and spies 
immediately sent out in search of the enemy, the whole 
body taking up a line of march in the direction from whence 
they expected the attack." 

' ' The advance of the war party was continued for several 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 39 

days, passing tlirough, successively, tlie settlements of their 
friends, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas ; but 
they had scarcely passed the last wigwam, near the foot of 
Caandugua (Canandaigaa) Lake, when their scouts brought 
in intelligence of the advance of the Eries, who had already 
crossed the Cenisseu (Genesee) River in great force. The 
Eries had not the slightest intimation of the approach of 
their enemies. They relied upon the secrecy and celerity 
of their movements to surprise and subdue the Senecas al- 
most without resistance." 

" The two parties met at a point about half way between 
the foot of Canandaigua Lake and the Genesee River, and 
near the outlet of two small lakes, near the foot of one of 
which (the Honeoye) the battle was fought. When the two 
parties came in sight of each other the outlet of the lake 
only intervened between them." 

"The entire force of the five confederate tribes was not in 
view of the Eries. The reserve corps of one thousand young 
men had not been allowed to advance in sight of the enemy. 
Nothing could resist the impetuosity of the Eries at the 
first sight of an opposing force on the other side of the 
stream. They rushed through it and fell upon them with 
tremendous fury. The undaunted courage and deter- 
mined bravery of the Iroquois could not avail against such 
a terrible onslaught, and they were compelled to yield the 
ground on the bank of the stream. The whole force of the 
combined tribes, except the corps of reserve, now became 
engaged. They fought hand to hand and foot to foot. The 
battle raged horribly. No quarter was asked or given on 
either side." 

** As the fight thickened and became more desperate, the 



40 THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 

Eries, for the first time, became sensible of their true situa- 
tion. What they had long anticipated had become a fear- 
ful reality. Their enemies had combined for their destruc- 
tion, and they now found themselves engaged, suddenly 
and unexpectedly, in a struggle involving not only the 
glory, but perhaps the mry existence of their nation." 

"They were proud, and had hitherto been victorious over 
all their enemies. Their superiority was felt and acknowl- 
edged by all the tribes. They knew how to conquer but 
not to yield. All these considerations flashed upon the 
minds of the bold Eries, and nerved every arm with almost 
superhuman power. On the other hand, the united forces 
of the weaker tribes, now made strong by union, fired with 
a spirit of emulation, excited to the highest pitch among 
the warriors of the different tribes, brought for the first 
time to act in concert, inspired with zeal and confidence by 
the counsels of the wisest chiefs, and led on by the most 
experienced warriors of all the tribes, the Iroquois were 
inmncitley 

"Though staggered by the first desperate rush of their 
opponents, they rallied at once and stood their ground. 
And now the din of battle rises higher, the war-club, the 
tomahawk, the scalping knife, wielded by herculean hands, 
do terrible deeds of death. During the hottest of the 
battle, which was fierce and long, the corps of reserve, 
consisting of one thousand young men, were, by a skillful 
movement under their experienced chief, placed in the rear 
of the Eries, on the opposite side of the stream in ambush." 

"The Eries had been driven seven times across the stream, 
and had as often regained their ground ; but the eighth 
time, at a given signal from their chief, the corps of young 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 41 

warriors in ambush rushed upon the almost exhausted 
Eries with a tremendous yell and at once decided the for- 
tunes of the day. Hundreds, disdaining to fly, were struck 
down by the war-clubs of the vigorous young warriors 
whose thirst for the blood of the enemy knew no bounds. 
A few of the vanquished Eries escaped to carry the news 
of the terrible overthrow to their wives and children and 
their old men, who remained at home. But the victors did 
not allow them a moment's repose, but pursued them in 
their flight killing without discrimination all who fell into 
their hands. The pursuit was continued for many weeks, 
and it was ^ve months before the victorious wsly party of the 
Five Nations returned to their friends to join in celebrating 
the victory over their last and most powerful enemy, the 
Eries." 

Tradition adds that many years after, a powerful war 
party of the descendants of the Eries came from beyond the 
Mississippi, ascended the Ohio, crossed the country and 
attacked the Senecas, who had settled in the seat of their 
fathers at Tushuway. A great battle was fought near the 
present site of the Indian Mission House, in which the 
Eries were again defeated, and slain to a man. Their 
bones lie bleaching in the sun to the present day, a monu- 
ment at once of the indomitable courage of the '* terrible 
Eries," and of their brave conquerors the Senecas. 

THE COUNTIES OF THE RESERVE. 

As now organized there are in the Reserve ten entire 
counties— Ave bordering on the lake, and five inland — and 
four parts of counties. In the following table they appear 
in the order of their formation. On a line with the name 



42 



thk wkstern re;skrve. 



of each county iive important facts are recorded concerning 
it, viz. : the date when it was formed ; the order of its for- 
mation, relative to all the other counties (87) of the state ; 
its area in square miles ; the county or counties from which 
the entire county, or part of county, as the case may be, 
was formed; and the number of townships in the county, or 
part of county within the Reserve. The areas of parts of 
counties are estimated^ and being so indicated, they show 
which counties are wholly, and which are partly, within 
the Reserve. 



COUNTIES. FORMED. ORDER. AREA. 

Trumbull July 10, 1800. 7 650 

Geauga Dec. 31, 1805. 22 400 

Ashtabula June?, 1807. 1 



Lake Mar. 6, 1840. 



1 

[ 78 



Ottawa Mar. 6, 1840. J 

Ashland Feb. 26, 1846. 83 

Mahoning Mar. 1 , 1846. 83 



720 

470 
490 
450 
400 



Cuyahoga June 7, 1807. )■ 25 

Portage June 7, 1807. j 

Huron Feb. 7,1809. 35 

Medina Feb, 18, 1812. 42 

Lorain Dec 26, 1822. 71 510 

Erie 1838. 76 

Summit Mar. 3, 1840. 77 



290 

360 est. 

215 

35 est 
65 est. 
225 est. 
5,280 



FORMED TOWN- 
FROM. SHIPS. 

J Jefferson . . . 
/ Wayne 

Trumbull 16 



25 



28 



j Trumbull. . . 

"i Geauga 

Geauga 20 

Trumbull 21 

Trumbull 19 

Portage 17 

5 Huron 
Cuyahoga 21 
Medina 

Huron 11 

(Portage .« 

i Medina ^^ 

j Geauga g 

] Cuyahoga 



Erie 



Lorain. 
Huron . 



Trumbull 10 

218 



THE wEvSTKRN RKSERVK. "^^ 

From this table it will be seen that, compared with the 
other counties of the state, some of those on the Reserve 
were late in forming. Ashtabula and Lake, the largest and 
the smallest respectively, on the Reserve, are also the largest 
and the smallest in the state. Lake County contains Mad- 
ison, the largest township in the Reserve. There is but 
one county— Licking— in Ohio that is larger than Trum- 
bull ; and but three— Muskingum, Ross and Washington— 
that equal it in size. 

TRACING OUR FARMS. 

Reckoning the present counties among the number, it 
will be found that every farm in the Reserve, excepting 
those in Trumbull and Huron Counties, has been a part 
of four or more (and those excepted, of three) diiferent 
counties. It is interesting to trace the successive counties 
of which your farm or home lot has been a part. For 
example : Shadewood, the author's farm at North Madi- 
son, has been in five different counties, viz.: 1. Washing- 
ton County, from July 26, 1788, to July 29, 1797, the first 
county formed in Ohio. 2. Jefterson County from July 29, 
1797, to July 10, 1800, the fifth county of Ohio. 3. Trum- 
bull County from July 10, 1800, to December 31, 1805, the 
seventh county in the state. 4. Geauga County from De- 
cember 31, 1805, to March 6, 1840, the twenty-third county 
of Ohio. 5. Lake County since March 6, 1840, the seventy- 
eighth county of the state. 

A farm in Summit County, west of the Cuyahoya River 
and the Portage, would be traced as follows: 1. Wayne 
County from August 15, 1796, to July 10, 1800, tlie third 
county of the state. 2. Trumbull County from July 10, 



4.4 THI5 WESTe:rN REvSERVE. 

1800, to June 7, 1807. 3. Portage County from June 7, 
1807, to February 18, 1812, the twenty-fifth county of 
Ohio. 4. Medina County from February 18, 1812, to March 
3, 1840, the forty-second county of Ohio. 5. Summit 
County since March 3, 1840, the seventy-seventh county of 
Ohio. 

A farm on the east side of the dividing line, in the same 
county, would have the same tracing, with Medina County 
omitted and Washington substituted for Wayne, followed 
by the insertion of Jefferson County ; that is, the tracing 
backward would be : Summit, Portage, Trumbull, Jeffer- 
son, Washington. 

One' s birth, marriage, and death may have been in three 
different counties, respectively, and yet all have occurred 
on the same farm. 

THE TOWNSHIPS OF THE RESERVE. 

On the 41st parallel of latitude — the southern boundary 
of the Reserve— there are in its 120 miles, the south lines 
of 24 townships, and on the Pennsylvania boundary— the 
eastern boundary line of the Reserve— there are, in its 
length of 68 miles on land, the east lines of 13 townships, 
the line touching the lake being 8 miles long. Ow- 
ing to the direction of the shore line, nearly all of the 
25 townships that border on the lake have the "lake gore." 
Most of the rural townships are regular in size— 5 miles 
square, as originally surveyed— the exceptions being the 
25 bordering on the lake ; the townships of Danbury, Put- 
in-Bay (Wine Islands), and Catawba Island, in Ottawa 
County; and Kelley's Island, in Erie County. To these 
should be added a few cities and large towns whose 



THU WESTERN RESERVE. 4,5 

growth has made them co-extensive with the townships in 
which they are situated. Among such townships, of less 
than 25 square miles, are : East Cleveland, Garrettsville, 
Chagrin Falls, Akron, Portland (co-extensive with San- 
dusky), and a few others. The courses of some streams 
have caused variations from the plan of 5 miles square, 
making ^' gores ;" but they do not seriously interfere with 
the measurement of distances. The opposite sides of 
rural townships, not bordering on the lake, are generally 
5 miles apart. The total number of townships in the 
Reserve— 218— is more than one- seventh the number in the 
State of Ohio. There are in all, about 40 townships that 
vary from the regular size. The average area of the town- 
ships is a little more than 24 square miles. The survey 
of the Reserve was not made by the United States ; in 
fact, in 1796 the Government had not devised the method 
now employed for the survey of public lands, hence the 
variation from the plan of six miles square for townships 
of western lands. 

TOWNSHIPS BY COUNTIES. 

The following arrangement of the names of townships 
shows their relative position in each county of the Reserve. 
The asterisk shows the location of the county seat in the 
township. If the points of the compass be kept in mind, 
this plan will prove a good substitute for a map of the 
Reserve, so far as regards the location of each township, 
and the county seat of each county. Sandusky, Erie 
County, in the township of Portland, is the only county- 
seat in the Reserve that has not the same name as the 
township in which it is situated. 



46 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 
TRUMBULL COUNTY. 



This was the first of the counties of the Reserve, and 
genealogically speaking, was the ancestor of all the others. 
It was cut down and pared off from time to time to form 
other counties, until its area was reduced from an original 
equivalent of 218 townships— the entire Reserve— to its 
present number, 25, 

Bounded — North, by Ashtabula ; east, by Pennsylvania ; 
south, by Mahoning ; west, by Portage and Geauga. 



Mesopo- 
tamia. 



Bloom- 
field. 



Greene. 



Gustav- 
us. 



Kins- 
man. 



Farming- 
ton. 



Bristol. 



Mecca. 



Johns- 
ton. 



Vernon. 



South- 
ington. 



Cham- 
pion. 



Bazetta. 



Fowler. 



Hart- 
ford. 



Brace- 
ville. 



Warren.* 



How- 
land. 



Vienna. 



Brook- 
field. 



New- 
ton. 



Lords- Wethers- x^K^^f H^b- 

town. field. -^i^erty. ^^^^^ 



THK WESTERN RESERVE. 
ASHTABULA COUNTY. 



4? 



Bounded — North, by Lake Erie; east, by Pennsylvania; 
south, by Trumbull; west, by Geauga, Lake, and Lake 
Erie. Number of townships, 28. 



Ashta- 
bula* 



Kings- 
ville. 



Conne- 
aut. 



Geneva. Saybrook. ^ 



mouth. 



Shef- 
field. 



Monroe. 



Harpers- Austin- Jeffer- Ben- T3;oT.r^r.nf 

field. burgh. son.^ mark. ^i^rpont. 



\'un." ^^^g^^- ^^^^^- ^^^«^*- mond. 



Harts- 
grove. 



Rome. 



Sl. viT ^-'^^^'- 



Windsor. Orwell. 



^^^^' Wavne Williams^ 

brook. vvayne. ^^^^^ 



48 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



MAHONING COUNTY. 



Ten townships of this county — two- thirds of its area — are 
within the Reserve. These townships are bounded : 
North, by Trumbull ; east, by Pennsylvania ; south, by 
the 41st parallel of latitude ; west, by Portage. 



Mil- 
ton. 



Jack- 
son. 



Austin- 
town. 



Youngs-* 
town. 



Coits- 
ville. 



Ber- 
lin. 



Ells- 
worth. 



Can- 
field. 



Board- 
man. 



Poland. 



ASHLAND COUNTY. 



Only three townships of this county are 'within the Re- 
serve. Ruggles was taken from Huron County, and the 
other townships from Lorain County. 

Bounded — North, by Huron and Lorain ; east, by Medina ; 
south, by the 41st parallel of latitude ; west, by Huron. 



Ruggles. 



Troy. 



Sullivan. 



THE WESTERiSI RESERVE. 49 



LAKE COUNTY. 

Bounded— North, by Lake Erie ; east, by Ashtabula and 
Geauga ; south, by Geauga and Cuyahoga ; west, by 
Cuyahoga and Lake Erie. Number of townships, 8. 

Madi- 
son. 
Perry. 

Paines- 
ville. 



Mentor. f^°^; Leroy. 



Willoughby. Kirtland. 



60 



tHE WESTERN RESERVE. 



GEAUGA COUNTY. 

Bounded— North, by Lake ; east, by Ashtabula and Trum- 
bull ; south, by Portage ; west, by Cuyahoga and 
Lake, Number of townships, 16. 

Thompson. 



Chardon."^ 



Hamp- 
den. 



Montville. 



riari 
Chester. Munson. ^ Huntsburgh. 



Russell. Newbury. Burton. Middlefield. 



Bain- 
bridge. 



Auburn. 



Troy. 



Parkman. 



THE W^.STERN RESERVE. 



51 



PORTAGE COUNTY. 



Bounded — North, by Geauga ; east by Trumbull and Ma- 
honing; south, by the 41st parallel of latitude; west, 
by Summit. Number of townships, 21. 



Aurora. Mantua. Hiram. 



Nelson. 



Garrettsville. 



Streets- 
boro. 



Shalers- 
ville. 



Freedom. 



Windham. 



Frank- -RovPnna * Charles- 

lin. i^avenna. ^^^^^ 



Paris. 



Brim- 
field. 



Roots- 
town. 



Edin- 
burgh. 



Palmyra. 



Suf- 
field. 



Ran- 
dolph. 



Atwater. 



Deerfield. 



32 



TH]^ WEvSTKRN RESERVE. 



SUMMIT COUNTY. 



Of the 18 townships of this county, 16 are in the Reserve. 
They are bounded : 

North, by Cuyahoga ; east, by Portage ; south, by the 41st 
parallel of latitude ; west, by Medina and Cuyahoga. 



Northfield. 



Twinsburgh. 



Richfield. 



Boston. 



Hudson. 



Bath. 



North- 
amx)ton. 



Stow. 



Copley. 



Portage. 



Cuyahoga. 

Tallmadge. 



Akron.* 



Norton. 



Coventry. 



Springfield. 



THE WKvSTERN RESERVE. S3 

CUYAHOGA COUNTY. 

Bounded— North, by Lake Erie and Lake County ; east by 
Lake, Gfeauga and Summit; south, by Summit, Me- 
dina and Lorain ; west^ by Lorain and Lake Erie. It 
is the most irregular in shape of all the counties of the 
Reserve. Number of townships, 20. 



Euclid. 

East Cleve- May- 
land, field. 

*Cleve- 
land. 

I>o-. ^pS- \-^- LTgh. ""^r Orange. 



01m- Middle- p„„^^ Independ- Bed- 
sted. burgh. ^^™^- ence. ford. 



Strongs- Royal- Brecks- 
ville. ton. ville. 



Chagrin 
Falls. 



Solon. 



54 



TH^ WESTERN RESERVE. 



MEDINA COUNTY. 



Bounded— Xorth, by Lorain and Cuyahoga; east, by Snm- 
mit; south, by the 41st parallel of latitude; west, by 
Ashland and Lorain. Number ol townships, 17. 



Liver- 
pool. 



Bruns- 
wick. 



Hinck- 
ley. 



Litch- 
field. 



York. 



Me- 

■^dina. 



Granger. 



Spencer. 



Chat- 
ham. 



Lafay- 
ette. 



Mont- 
ville. 



Sharon. 



Homer. 



Harris* 
ville. 



West- 
field. 



Guil- 
ford. 



Wads- 
worth. 



TlIK WESTERN RESERVE. 



g^ 



LORAIN COUNTY. 



Bounded — North, by Lake Erie and Cuyahoga ; east, by 
Cuyahoga and Medina ; south, by Medina and Ash- 
land ; west, by Huron, Erie, and Lake Erie. Number 
of townships, 21. 



Black 
River. 



Shef- 
field. 



Avon. 



Brownhelm. Amherst. ^Y'^' S^' 



Henrietta. Russia. ^g[^' Eaton. ^^biT 



Camden. 



Pitts- 
field. 



La 

Grange. 



Grafton. 



Brighton. 



Welling- 
ton. 



Penn- 
field. 



Rochester. ^^J!!^"^" 

ton. 



S6 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 
HURON COUNTY. 



Bounded— North, by Erie; east, by Lorain and Ashland; 
south, by Ashland and the 41st parallel of latitude; 
west, by the western boundary of the Reserve. Num- 
ber of townships, 19. 



Lyme. 



Ridge- 
field. 



Nor- 
^walk. 



Towns- 
end. 



Wake- 
man. 



Sher- 
man. 



Peru. 



Bronson. 



Hart- 
land. 



Clarks- 
field. 



Nor- 
wich. 



Green- 
field. 



Fair- 
field. 



Fitch- 
ville. 



New 
London. 



Rich- 
mond. 



New 
Haven. 



Ripley. 



Green- 
wich. 



ERIE AND OTTAWA COUNTIES. 

The three townships of Ottawa County, within the Re- 
serve, lie north of the west end of Erie County, and are al- 
most entirely surrounded by the waters of Lake Erie. 
Erie County is bounded : 

North, by Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie ; east, by Lake 
Erie and Lorain ; south, by Huron ; west, by the 
west boundary of the Reserve. The north-west cor- 
ner of the township of Margaretta extends a little 
beyond the limits of the Reserve. Number of town- 
ships, 11. 



THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 



37 



ERIE AND OTTAWA COUNTIES. 



Put-in-Bay 
and Wine 










Islands. 










(Ottawa) 


Kelley's 
Island. 

(Erie) 








Catawba 










Island. 










(Ottawa) 


Danbury. 
(Ottawa) 

Portland. 








Marga- 
retta. 


(Erie) 
Perkins. 


Huron. 




Yermil 
lion. 


(Erie) 


(Erie) 


(Erie) 




(Erie) 


Groton. 


Oxford. 


Milan. 


Ber- 


Flor- 


(Erie) 


(Erie) 


(Erie) 


lin. 

(Erie) 


ence. 

(Erie) 


^Sandusky. 









S8 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

NAMES OF TOWNSHIPS. 

From the names given to their townships it will be seen 
that the settlers of the Reserve cherished a love for Old 
Connecticut. Of the 218 townships of the Reserve, fifty-one 
are named from forty -nine of the 168 townships of the 
mother state (the names Berlin and Montville being dupli- 
cated.) A large proportion of the other townships, and of 
the villages, of the Reserve were named from cities and vil- 
lages of Connecticut. Love of country is shown by their 
desire to perpetuate the memory of illustrious Americans. 
The names Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, 
Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Sherman, Trumbull, and 
Wayne are symbols of character and patriotism well worth 
preserving. 

Fifteen townships took the names of members of the Con- 
necticut Land Company. The following names are dupli- 
cated : Berlin, Montville, Richmond, Sheffield, and Troy. 
The names of only five townships are of Indian origin, 
while half the counties of the Reserve (seven) have names 
derived from the Indian language. 

THE CAPITAL OF "NEW CONNECTICUT.'' 

When Moses Cleaveland visited the site of the city of 
Cleveland in 1796, and planned the survey of its streets, he 
could not have placed the future capital in a spot nearer to 
the geographical center of the Reserve parallelogram if he 
had tried to do so. The east bank of the Cuyahoga River, 
at its mouth, is seven townships from the southern bound- 
ary of the Reserve and twelve townships from the eastern 
boundary. The distance by the Lake Shore Railway, from 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 89 

Conneaut, near tlie north-east corner of the Reserve, to 
Marblehead Junction in the north-west corner, is 134 miles, 
and Cleveland is half way between them. The distance is 
very nearly the same by the New York, Chicago and St. 
Louis (*' Nickel Plate") Rail Road, between Conneaut and 
Bellevue. 

A parallel drawn on the boundary line between Trumbull 
and Ashtabula Counties, passes through the city of Cleve- 
land and about two miles north of the village of Lorain 
and the City of Sandusky. Conneaut village is more than 
30 miles north of this parallel. The widest part of the 
Reserve— by land— is its east end (68 miles) and the nar- 
rowest part is across the eastern ends of Huron and Erie 
Counties, where it is less than 27 miles. The extreme 
north-west land of the Reserve is the Isle of St. George, 
which is seventeen miles farther north than Cleveland and 
very near to the parallel that passes through the villages of 
Painesville and Jefferson, and over the spot famous for 
Perry's victory. Warren, Hudson and Norwalk are very 
near a parallel, which is 18 miles south of Cleveland. 

The eastern boundary line of the Reserve is two miles 
east of Conneaut Village; but the rapid growth of Cleve- 
land eastward from the river maintains its location as half 
way by railroad between the north-east and the north-west 
corners of the Reserve, a most convenient spot for a capital 
and chief city. 

A LAND OF BEAUTY. 

The lack of variety in the contour and surface of the 
Reserve may seem, at first glance, to make it uninteresting 
as a study; but this idea is soon dispelled when it is con- 



eO THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

sidered that surface is related to geological structure in 
such way as to make the former quite unintelligible with- 
out a knowledge of the latter, and tliat upon both these 
depends the soil, the hope of mankind for life itself. 

Rugged beauty comes only from barren soil, and in 
this quality of grandeur the Reserve is limited. In natural 
picturesqueness it presents comparatively little to delight 
the esthetic eye; yet it is not without suggestions of 
sublimity. The changes made by man have enhanced its 
natural beauty, and the day has already dawned when the 
Reserve is known as the Eden of Ohio. 

EARLY EUROPEAN VISITORS. 

The date when the first white men landed on this shore 
of the lake cannot be exactly determined. There is next to 
nothing in history concerning early visits made by them ; 
but there is other evidence that civilized people knew some- 
thing about this land in very early times. In the heart of 
a large tree that had been cut down at Conneaut in 1829, 
there were found, at a distance of about three feet from 
the ground, distinct marks of cuttings made with an ax. 
The rings in the body of the tree, between the ax marks 
and the outside were counted, and from their number it was 
estimated that the marks were made not later than the year 
1479 — more than a dozen years before Columbus' first voy- 
age to America. There is no positive evidence, however, 
that the marks were not made with a stone ax, similar to 
those in use by the Mound Builders, since these ancient 
people were not without ideas of the mechanical arts. In 
the same town, in 1815, a human jaw-bone was found in a 
road-way which had been cut through a mound. Near the 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 61 

bone was an artificial tooth, of metal, which exactly fitted 
a cavity in the jaw. 

In the township of Brighton, Lorain County, in 1838, a 
moss-covered image, or idol of stone, was dug from the 
ground near the surface, having the date 1533 carved on it 
in two places. There was also the inscription: "Louis 
Yagard, La France, 1533," and an engraving of a vessel. 
It has suggested the possibility of French navigators at 
some time having been wrecked, or by other misfortune, 
stranded here. 

A DIVIDING RIDGE. 

The Reserve is divided into two unequal parts by a 
watershed that separates the Lake Erie Valley from the 
Mississippi Basin. The northern slope of this ridge is 
much more abrupt than the southern ; the latter being an 
almost level plain for many miles to the southward. The 
ridge is not parallel with the shore of the lake, but is 
at a distance varying from 10 to 25 miles from it. This 
watershed begins as far east as the foot of Lake Ontario, 
but we are interested only in tracing it from where it 
enters Ohio, in south-eastern Ashtabula County. It ex- 
tends south-westward, across the north-west corner of 
Trumbull County, into central Portage, to south-eastern 
Summit, and westward near the south line of Medina, then 
south-westward, across northern Ashland and Richland 
Counties to southern Crawford ; thence into northern 
Marion County, and north-westward into Hardin, again 
south-westward through Auglaize, and on, westward, be- 
tween Mercer and Darke Counties, into Indiana. The sum- 
mit of the ridge is not so straight a line as this tracing 



62 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



might imply. It api>roacbes to within a dozen miles of the 
lake in Ashtabula County ; and from Portage a spur of it 
extends southward into Columbiana County. The general 
course, however, is as described. From the Indiana line 
it may be traced north-westward, past Fort Wayne, and on, 
northward, through the peninsula of Michigan. This 
ridge from the foot of Lake Erie around to northern Michi- 
gan, as we have traced it, forms the south-east and the 
south-west rim of the lake basin. 

Within the Reserve, the cities of Ravenna and Akron 
are on the highland ; and to the south-west of these, 
Creston and Crestline are names that suggest their own 
origin. 

HIGHEST POINTS ON THE RESERVE. 



Silver Creek, Summit County 
Claridon, Geauga County 
Wadsworth, Medina County 
Little Mountain, Lake County 
Hiram, Portage County . . 
Royalton, Cuyahoga County 
Limestone Ridge, Portage County 
Andover, Ashtabula County 
Mesopotamia, Trumbull County 



Above Sea 
Level. 
1392 feet. 
1366 " 
1349 '' 
1323 '' 
1300 " 
1272 '' 
1248 '' 
1191 " 
1172 '^ 



THE CARRY. 

In the days before the country was settled, travelers and 
explorers followed the custom of the Indians in passing 
from the headwaters of one stream to those of another, and 
carried their boats and baggage overland, either on pack 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 63 

horses, or by hand ; hence such connecting routes were 
called portages, or carries. The names of the counties, 
Portage and Summit, explain themselves. 

THE DRAINAGE OF THE RESERVE. 

Prof. Klippart, of the Ohio State University, called 
attention to the drainage of Ohio as naturally divided into 
the following seven districts : 

Toward Lake Erie : 

1. The Western Reserve. 

2. The Maumee Valley. 
Toward the Ohio River : 

3. The River Counties— South Eastern Ohio. 

4. The Muskingum Valley. 

5. The Hocking Valley. 

6. The Scioto Valley. 

7. The Miami Valley. 

By far the greater part of the Reserve is on the north 
slope of the dividing ridge. Its south-eastern corner, com- 
prising the ten townships of Mahoning County, nearly all 
of Trumbull, the south-east corner of Ashtabula, and less 
than half of Portage County, is drained by the Mahoning 
River into the Beaver, and thence into the Ohio. This area 
— nearly 55 townships — is about one-fourth of the Reserve. 
With the exception of this corner, the drainage of the Re- 
serve is toward Lake Erie, and the streams that carry the 
rains and snowfall into the lake comprise three creeks and 
seven rivers. In their order, beginning at the east, they 
are: Conneaut, Ashtabula, and Cunningham's (or Arcole) 
Creeks, and Grand, Chagrin, Cuyahoga, Rocky, Black, 
Vermillion, and Huron Rivers. 



64 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

INTERESTING OBJECTS OF NATURE. 

The larger rivers follow a winding course, with current 
swift enough for water power, particularly the Cuyahoga. 
Its falls or rapids pour through a gorge of conglomerate 
rock of two miles or more in length, and a hundred feet in 
height. The cliffs, with the stream below, form a pictur- 
esque scene. Not less marvelous are the gorge and cave of 
the Black River, a short distance below Elyria. As a 
study of the power of erosion, the Grand River is note- 
worthy. The bluff, or ridge, a quarter of a mile north of the 
bank of the river in the township of Madison, Lake County, 
south of the village of Madison, is 260 feet above the level 
of the lake, six miles distant ; and the bed of the river is 
90 feet above the lake. The work of erosion has lowered 
the river 170 feet. Here is the '^ Grand Canon" of the 
Reserve, not, of course, to be compared with that of the 
Colorado ; yet it would well repay a visit. There are no 
large lakes in the Reserve, the slope being too gradual to 
favor their formation. In Summit County there are several 
^* lakelets," evidently of glacial origin, which are being 
gradually filled with a vegetation that will ultimately form 
peat bogs, similar to those now found in Bloomfield and 
other townships of Trumbull County. Some of these lake- 
lets are still clear and beautiful. Here are the famous 
Brady's Leap, and Brady's Lake, named from a frontiers- 
man, who, escaping from captivity, and being closely pur- 
sued by the Indians, jumped the Cuyahoga from cliff to 
cliff— a distance of 22 feet— and, continuing his flight, 
swam into a lake, where he was able to hide till his pur- 
suers gave up the chase. Although this occurred a hundred 
and twenty years ago, the places are noted to this day. 



THIC WEvSTERN RESKRVK. 63 

In Margaretta township, E<rie County, about five miles 
from Sandusky, a river issues from tlie ground, and on its 
way to tlie lake, three miles distant, it Hows with a current 
that affords water power. This wonderful " Castalia 
Spring " is visited by numbers of tourists. Its influence 
over the poetic instinct has no such reputation as that of 
the classic Castalian Spring at the foot of Parnassus, yet 
the student of nature feels its inspiration. 

On Put-in-Bay Island there are caverns that afford ma- 
terial for geological study. The antiquarian will And in- 
terest in the evidences of ancient mounds in Sheffield, Lor- 
ain County, and in Conneaut, Wayne, and Windsor, Ash- 
tabula County. Proofs of an early race of men have been 
found in what were fortifications, to be seen in almost every 
county of the Reserve, notably in what is now Cleveland ; on 
the banks of the Cuyahoga, six miles from the lake ; in North- 
field, Summit County ; and on the west bank of the Grand 
River, three miles above Painesville. The gorge of the 
Mahoning River, worn through conglomerate rock in New- 
ton, Trumbull County, is a romantic object. The two 
points farthest north in the outcropping of the conglomer- 
ate, viz.: Thompson Ledge, in Geauga County, and Little 
Mountain, Lake County, are especially attractive to the 
student. 

Besides the mounds on Kelley's Island, there is the 
famous rock on the south side of it containing inscriptions 
that were undoubtedly made by the Erie Indians at least 
two and a half centuries ago, yet are still easily traced. 
The islands of the lake are worth a tour of inspection. 
Indeed, if an interest is felt in finding attractions, the Re- 
serve will be found to possess many. 



ee THE WESTERN RE>SERVE. 

When Thoreau returned to Emerson a book on *'Dr. 
Franklin's Arctic Explorations," wliicli he had borrowed, 
he remarked that most of the phenomena described as 
found in the polar regions could be observed there in Con- 
cord, where Thoreau and Emerson lived. There was much 
significance in this observation. We need not go so far as 
we sometimes think necessary to find what will interest us. 
Phenomena in different parts of the world differ more in 
degree than in kind. The lover of Nature and her works 
has enough within the limits of the Reserve, and in easy 
reach, to employ his vacation hours for many summers. 
To enjoy the pleasures of this study, some of us need 
only rest now and then a day from routine duty and 
breathe the air of an adjoining county. 

THE CLIMATE OF THE RESERVE. 

The annual rain fall averages less in the Reserve than in 
any other part of the state, the difference growing greater 
as the distance southward is increased ; that of the Reserve 
being about 34 inches, and of southern Ohio 44 inches. 
The cause of this difference is in the lake winds. The air 
over the lake in summer is cooler than that over the land, 
and therefore it is drier. Conditions the opposite of these 
are observable in winter. Snow melts more rapidly near 
the lake than it does farther south. The severity of the 
"cold waves" from the north-west in winter is consider- 
ably softened by the warmth of the lake waves. 

In changing its temperature, water, as compared with 
land, is slow. Excepting when the winds are blowing that 
bring our rains, we have nearly every day, from spring to 
fall, an illustration of this difference between land and 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 67 

water. During the summer night, the lake, having stored 
up the heat absorbed the previous day, remains warm ; 
while the land, having lost much of its warmth, sends, in 
the morning, a breeze toward the lake ; but it is only a 
few hours before the land becomes warmer than the water, 
and receives, during the afternoon, a cool, refreshing breeze 
from the lake. 

If we remember that winds blow always from cooler 
toward warmer air^ we may easily understand the opera- 
tion of air currents. This knowledge is necessary if we 
would study intelligently the influences of the lake upon 
our climate, and its effects upon the products of our gar- 
dens, fields, and orchards. 

The climate of Ohio is described as one of '^ extremes," 
and the Reserve shares in that characteristic, though in a 
less degree than other portions of the state, owing to its 
proximity to the lake. The laws operating in a season are 
the same as those observed for a day. During the long 
summer, the waters of the lake have been slowly warmed, 
and in autumn, as the land grows cooler, the lake, with 
its retained warmth, tempers the atmosphere in its vicinity, 
and thereby delays the first frosts. We then look to the 
air from a distance to bring us moisture, and we are not 
disappointed. The fall rains come to refresh verdure and 
nsher in the ^* Indian Summer," with its subdued sunshine 
and balmy air, which contribute so much to the desira- 
bility of the Reserve as a place of residence. In the spring 
these conditions are reversed. When the sun has soft- 
ened the air over the land, and the birds from the south 
have begun their singing, the finny tribes are still enveloped 
in winter's cold, and the lake imparts a chill to the sur- 



66 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

rounding atmosphere. Our springs are a little late ; but 
we are amply paid for the delay, as the leaf and fruit buds 
are kept well sealed lest they open only to be nipped by 
late frosts. Thus the lake is of double service; favoring 
us with its soothing zephyrs during a lengthened autumn 
and sending a chill in springtime "as a kindly warning to 
the coming blossoms that summer is not yet. 

SHOWER AND SUN. 

Our prevailing summer rains come on the return trade 
winds from the south-west, while the dry air waves are 
from the north-west. These alternations of temperature 
give to our climate in summer an interesting variety most 
pleasing to lovers of rural life. Among the combined in- 
fluences of lake and land, there is one that comes softly 
toward the close of day as a harbinger of grateful repose. 
The position of our land, relative to the lake, is peculiarly 
favorable at this hour. After the transition from sultry 
air to dry, cool winds, there follows an effect of transcend- 
ent beauty in the sunset glow which floods the landscape 
with its mellow light, and bathes the foliage in glory. 
These golden showers that have passed through the clari- 
fied air over the lake, are caught here, and as they burst 
into silent splendor all nature welcomes their gracious 
invitation to peace and rest. 

PRODUCTS OF THE RESERVE. 

Mineral.— The first settlers on the Reserve found, in 
the Mahoning Valley, a patch of three or four acres of 
ground that had been worked for the salt it yielded. The 
Indians had found a supply of salt here, and white men 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 69 

knew of it as early as 1755. A tract including this salt 
'' lick" was purchased for prospective profit by Gen. Par- 
sons and was known as the *' Salt Tract " and the '' Par- 
sons Tract." It is in Wethersfield township, Trumbull 
County. The salt was a product of the conglomerate rock, 
the northern edge of which appears here. Iron and coal 
have been profitable products of the Mahoning Valley 
within the Reserve for many years. Prior to 1855 the 
Arcole and Geauga furnaces were active in smelting into 
pig-iron, an ore that was found in the surface soil on the 
northern slope of the north ridge, in the townships of Madi- 
son and Perry, Lake County. This ore was unquestion- 
ably brought down by the great ice flood from the north, 
the accumulation at that particular locality being due to 
natural drainage. 

An excellent quality of sandstone, known as Berea grit, 
is extensively quarried in Lorain, Cuyahoga, and Geauga 
Counties. The conglomerate of Summit County is a valu- 
able ornamental building stone. The quarries of the Re- 
serve are only beginning to yield from their inexhaustible 
supply. 

Vegetable. — If a straight line be drawn on a map from 
Galveston, Texas, to Toledo, Ohio, it will divide the forest 
region on the east from the region of plain and prairie, on 
the west. All the United States east of this line was orig- 
inally an unbroken forest, with the exception of a few 
small patches of open meadow and swamp land in the 
north-west corner of Ohio. The Reserve was wholly 
within the forest region, and, in its primitive state, was 
covered with a growth of valuable timber. Chestnut, oak, 
beech, maple, elm, walnut, hickory, whitewood, and ash 



70 THE WESTERN RESERX^E. 

were in abundant supply for the settler, wliose most difficult 
work was the cutting away of trees to make room for 
his buildings, and the burning of timber to clear his 
farming land. In the early days it was with the hardest 
labor that the north and south highways were cleared 
sufficiently for the warmth of the sun to dry the roads for 
travel. The lake ridges were first used as highways, being 
dry and easily cleared ; in fact, the cutting away of the 
trees was too thoroughly done. Not enough of them 
remain to shade our public highways. Their absence 
should suggest to every road commissioner and land owner 
the duty of supplying them. Notwithstanding this, there 
is nowhere a greater appreciation of the value of trees, 
either from economic or esthetic considerations, than in 
the Reserve. Nowhere in the United States are there 
more trees, both fruit and ornamental, grown on an equal 
area than in the townships of Perry and Painesville, in 
Lake County. Trees from our nurseries find their way to 
all parts of the Union. Our shade trees command the 
universal admiration of visitors. One variety, the maple, 
is unexcelled for shade, and has, besides its timber, an 
additional economic value. In the United States Agri- 
cultural Department at Washington, D. C, it is recorded 
that in 1893, at the World's Fair, more medals were 
awarded to Geauga County, Ohio, for the quantity and 
quality of its maple sugar and syrup than were received 
by all the other counties of the United States put together ; 
and that Portage County ranks next to Geauga in these 
products. 

The Reserve is famous for its orchards ; the lower clay 
lands are adapted to grape-culture, and the sandy soil to 



THE WESTERN RE>SERVE. 71 

all other varieties of fruit. The rich vegetable mold between 
the ridges and the lake is unexcelled for garden products. 
The clay on the highlands and the slopes of the dividing 
ridge yields grass of the best quality, especially over the 
conglomerate of Geauga, Portage and Summit Counties 
where natural underdrainage is most effective. The leading 
cultivated products of the Reserve — not including those of 
its maple groves — are from the dairy, the garden, the 
vineyard, and the orchard. 

THE WORK OF SEA WAVES. 

" The sea is the mother of continents." 

J. S. Newbebry. 

If we would learn how this soil was formed which so 
bountifully supplies us, it will be necessary to go back 
far beyond the reach of written history and study a 
record which the earth has been making during the long 
ages of its preparation for the use of man. Geology tells 
us how the different layers or strata of rock and other 
material were deposited, of what those strata are com- 
posed, and something about the age of the earth — not in 
years, but in long periods of time. 

In the remote past there was no land above the water. 
Even now, only about one-fourth of the surface of the earth 
is land. The bottom of the ocean consists of hills, moun- 
tains, and valleys. Continents and large islands are high 
plateaus out of water, and small islands are peaks of high 
mountains. Thinking of the land in this way, we can see 
how little of it all is above water. 

When we speak from a knowledge of the history that 
man has made, we say that the Eastern Continent is the 



72 ' THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

old world, and the Western Continent the new ; but wlien 
we think of the history the earth has left us of the changes 
made on its surface during the ages before man appeared, 
we know that the Western Continent is really the old world, 
and the Eastern Continent the new. 

In North America, the land that first rose above the 
water is that which you see on the map as Labrador, and 
that portion of British America extending westward from 
Labrador, around the south end of Hudson Bay, and thence 
north-westward. The rising of the land is believed to be 
caused by the expansive power of heat in the interior of 
the earth ; and the falling, due to the shrinking that follows 
the cooling of its crust. The land w^as slowly lifted higher 
and higher, and its coast or edge gradually forced the water 
southward until now, as you know, land above water ex- 
tends as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. That gulf is all 
that is left of what was once a wide, inland arm of the sea. 
How long, in years, it required to do this work no one can 
tell. Ohio was once covered by this sea, that part of it 
nearest to Lake Erie being first to rise above the water, and 
the last to appear being that bordering on the Ohio River, 
although neither the lake nor the river existed at that time. 
The Reserve, we may see, is, in its foundations, the oldest 
portion of Ohio. Since the land was formed, our state has 
been alternately above and below sea-level, having been 
depressed and elevated probably many times. It is now at 
an average of about a thousand feet above sea level. The 
layers of rock deep down below the surface show from their 
composition and structure that they were deposited there 
by a large body of salt water. 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 73 

THE ICE BANK. 

At some time during this lifting and falling of (he land, 
the climate over the northern regions gradually grew cold, 
and the rain and snow, falling in great quantities, froze 
into solid ice which piled up at great height- so high and 
wide that by its own weight it slid over and extended 
southward, causing the climate to grow cold as it advanced. 
How long this ice age, as it is called, continued, we do not 
know. Some have reckoned its time to have been 2.'>,000 
years. The tracks of this bank of ice are plain to be seen, 
and geologists have studied its effects so carefully that they 
know how far south it came. The warmth of the sun was 
sure to stop its course sooner or later, and men have traced 
its southern limit across the United States and have found 
that the ice covered about three-fourths of what is now the 
State of Ohio. The south line of this ice bank crosses the 
boundary line of Pennsylvania and enters Ohio in Colum- 
biana County near the town of East Palestine, 12 miles 
south of the Reserve. From this point it extends westward 
to New Lisbon, Canton, Millersburg, and into Ashland 
County near the town of Londonville, thence south-west- 
ward near Danville and the cities of Newark and Lancaster, 
and on between Chillicothe and Circleville, past the village 
of Winchester, and down into Brown County, crossing the 
Ohio River near the town of Ripley. All our Reserve, it 
will be seen, was under the glacier. 

THE SOIL OF FARMS. 

This heavy mass of ice carried stones and earth which it 
had picked up along its path, and dropped them when it 
melted. These stones, many of them very large, lie 



74 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

scattered over the land where they were dro]3ped. Gravel, 
sand, and clay were piled up, covering the layers that had 
been de^^osited by the sea many ages before. It has been 
estimated that the layer of ice in southern New England 
w^as more than 1,500 feet in thickness, and that three hun- 
dred miles farther north, it was more than a mile high. It 
must have been of great height, as it filled hollows, valleys, 
and gorges with its debris, which varies in depth from one 
hundred to five hundred feet. All the mineral matter of 
your farm was brought down by the ice. The stones have 
been more or less crumbled by frosts and rains, and are 
smaller than when dropped. This debris or till constitutes 
the soil of all the Reserve. In places, the continuous ac- 
tion of rain and frost has worn it away to the harder rock 
below, and sometimes farther down, leaving the latter pro- 
jecting above it. For example : Thompson Ledge, in 
Geauga County, and Little Mountain, in Lake County, are 
composed of quartz conglomerate. Being hard, they are left 
standing at an apparently higher elevation than when first 
deposited. This is due chiefly to the wearing away of the 
surrounding plain. The Ledge is 50 feet, and the Moun- 
tain nearly 200 feet above the level country adjacent. 

The salt and the traces of sea-weed to be found in con- 
glomerate rock, indicate much as to the age when it was 
formed. The pebbles massed together, composing the con- 
glomerate, are smoothed to a considerable degree, and 
were evidently washed about by water. They were, un- 
doubtedly, laid in place by a shallow sea. The conglom- 
erate beds are next below the coal layers, the latter having 
been deposited when the land was still wet and marshy. 

Rivers and even small streams wear away soil and hard 



THli WKSTiCKN KKvSKKVK. 75 

rock, forming deep gullies after ages of time. The land is 
thus slowly finding its way to the sea, there to be re-laid 
in new strata. 

Sand and clay are the leading ingredients of the soil of 
the Reserve. Excepting as it has been carried aw^ay by 
frost, rains, and rivers, the clay soil is in place where it was 
left by the glacier ; but the sand of our soil has been shifted 
by wind and wave into dunes, ridges, and layers that re- 
veal to us a marvelous history. 

If your farm is within four miles of Lake Erie, you may 
find all through its soil, in many places far below the sur- 
face, sand, pebbles, and larger stones, worn smooth from 
having been tossed about and rubbed against one another 
by the action of the waves of the lake. These fragments are 
of flint, quartz, shale, and granite, and are of varied colors, 
showing the kinds of rock from which they were broken. 
Some were dropped from the centre, some from the surface 
of the ice sheet, and still others were scraped out of the 
soil at the bottom of the lake valley ; but all were after- 
ward whirled and rolled about in a way that has given 
them a smooth and beautiful polish. 

If your farm is more than four miles from the lake, it 
has clay as a soil foundation, sometimes called boulder 
clay, drift, or till, because through it may be found boul- 
ders of granite or of other hard rock. In this soil there 
are few evidences of the action of lake waves, only the sur- 
face rock and soil being worn, and these by rains and frosts 
chiefly. 

Boulders are the most visible, and also the strongest 
proof of an ice flood from the north. Connecticut, the 
mother of the Reserve, is covered with these wanderers 



76 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

from their original northern home. In the valley of the 
Desplaines, in Illinois, they are, in places, so numerous as 
to interfere with the cultivation of the ground. 

In Euclid, Cuyahoga County, they are numerous, though 
not large. In the valley of the Huron River, near Monroe- 
ville, Huron County, is probably the largest boulder above 
ground on the Reserve. In size it is nearly equal to a cube 
20 feet on a side. Many surface boulders were undoubt- 
edly dropped by icebergs which had carried them away 
from the edge of the glacier. This accounts for the appear- 
ance of some of those on the Reserve. 

Mention has been made so particularly of the glacial era 
for two reasons : 

1. The soil of our farms is composed of the drift from the 
great glacier, and 

2. Lake Erie, whose influence upon our soil and climate 
is so important, was likewise, a direct result of glacial 
action. 



If it could speak, what a story this lake, the smallest, 
the shallowest and, therefore, the most dangerous to navi- 
gation of all the Great Lakes, could tell us ! The direction 
in which it lies — north-east to south-west — gives the pre- 
vailing winds the fullest sweep, and in the days before 
large steam propellers were in use, wrecks were frequent 
in its waters. Its average depth is but little over 100 feet 
and its greatest depth does not much exceed 200 feet. Its 
south shore is an easy prey to the north-west winds of 
winter, which lash it with a fury that has broken away the 
bank, forcing it a considerable distance to the south- 



TIIK WKSTKRN RKSKRVK. 77 

ward since the Reserve was first known to settlers. 
At Cleveland it was recorded that the shore crept inland 
more than 200 feet within forty-six years prior to 1842. 
The north shore of the lake is low and marshy, giving evi- 
dence of having been a lake bottom. 

There are indications that the Great Lakes were not in ex- 
istence before the glacial period. They are in what were 
then shallow valleys, each drained by a deep, central river, 
fed by tributaries. The Strait of Mackinaw was not open 
at that time, and the two cential streams of the Superior 
and Michigan Valleys were one river, which flowed south- 
ward into the Mississippi Basin by way of the Desplaines 
and the Illinois Valleys. 

The drainage of the Huron Valley in pre-glacial times has 
not been satisfactorily determined. Investigations have led 
to two opinions: 1. A single river may have flowed south- 
ward, leaving the valley either through a river-bed below 
the present outlet of the lake, or, at a point east of the St. 
Clair River, crossing Canada near London, and emptying 
into the Erie Valley in the vicinity of Port Stanley. 2. Two 
streams may have flowed from opposite ends of the valley, 
and united in a river that drained the Georgian Bay to the 
south-eastward, and emptied into the Ontario Valley near its 
west end. Prof. G. F. Wright has discovered evidences that 
the waters of Lake Huron at one time found an outlet to 
the north-eastward from Georgian Bay to Lake Nipissing 
and the Ottawa River. What old river-bed, if any, there 
is below this route, remains to be found. 

When science shall have done waiting upon economics, 
and shall make researches independently and for its own 
ends, the geological history of the region of the Great 
Lakes will be revealed. 



78 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

The Erie Valley was drained by a river that was a con- 
tinuation of the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers, whose 
waters joined at a point about twenty miles east of Kelley's 
Island, and flowed north-eastward through a deep gorge a 
little to the south of the middle of the present lake ; then, 
bearing toward the north, entered the lower valley of the 
Grand River, Canada, and emptied into the west end of the 
Ontario Yalle}^, and was probably joined by the river from 
the Georgian and the Huron Valleys, about 25 miles north- 
east of where is now the mouth of the Niagara River. 
This enlarged river flowed eastward, through the Ontario 
Valley, and left it, not by way of what is now the St. Law- 
rence, but farther to the south, through the Mohawk Valley 
to the Hudson River, by which it found a way to the At- 
lantic Ocean, not at the present outlet, but more than 75 
miles south-east of New York, the land there being much 
higher at that time than it is now. 

The streams that now flow into Lake Erie from the south 
were tributaries of this great river. The deep gorge of the 
main stream was filled with drift from the melting ice sheet, 
and the tributaries for several miles from the present shore 
of the lake were entirely hidden by the same agency. The 
original bed of the Cuyahoga River, 25 miles from its 
mouth, has been found to be 200 feet below its present bot- 
tom. The old beds of all the streams are far below their 
present beds. 

Judging from the traces the glacier has left of its work, 
we may in imagination, see it on its course. As it slowly 
advanced southward, the rivers froze solid, and for ages 
remained in that state. When the ice front had reached 
its southern limit and the climate began to change, the 



THK WESTERN RESERVE. 79 

warmth of the sun melted the edge of the ice barrier, and 
it started on a slow retreat, dropping its drift to the 
ground. It would naturally be supposed that, as it 
approached the colder latitudes, its progress was slower,and 
that it may have stood for periods of time, neither receding 
nor advancing. There are evidences that this was precisely 
what it did. 

The "Dividing Ridge," or watershed between the Erie 
Valley and the Mississippi Basin is 1,300 to 1,400 feet 
above the ocean level, and 700 to 800 feet above the lake. 
Over this ridge the ice receded northward. 

Down the south slope of the ridge the water could flow 
as fast as the ice melted ; but it could not do this after the 
ice edge had reached the north side of the watershed. 
Some portion of the water doubtless flowed over the ridge 
through the valleys of former streams, or stayed to form 
lakelets ; but much of it settled in the trough between the 
ice bank and the watershed, waiting for an outlet at some 
point lower down the ridge to the westward. We can 
now understand what scientists mean by calling Lake Erie 
a "glacial millpond," for, so it was, and the wall of ice 
back of it acted as a dam to hold the water in place. 

OLD OUTLETS OF THE ERIE POND. 

In following the progress of the lake in its effort to find 
an outlet, we must think of the ice wall just over the water- 
shed, having its direction nearly parallel with the lake as it 
now is, and we shall see that Lake Erie began as a series of 
lakelets, then became a narrow, shallow trough, growing 
wider and deeper — a pond of pure ice water, containing no 
animal life. To follow intelligently the course of the lake 



so THE WKvSTERN REvSERVE. 

as it dropped from the height of the watershed to its 
present level — 573 feet above the sea— we must review our 
tracing of the ridge across Ohio and Indiana and thence 
northward along the peninsula of Michigan to the Strait of 
Mackinaw. This ridge forms the south and west bound- 
aries or edges of the Erie Valley, and includes an area 
nearly twice that of the present lake. The highest point 
in this watershed, near the east end of Lake Erie, is 1,400 
feet ; and the lowest point, the Strait of Mackinaw^ 600 
feet above the ocean level. 

As the ice edge slowly retreated northward, the lake 
found successive outlets toward the west, flowing over low 
places or shallow^ valleys in the watershed. At this stage 
there doubtless were small lakes formed in the old river 
valleys between the ridge and the glacier, which existed 
for ages, till the ice had melted back sufficiently to drain 
them. Such was Cuyahoga Lake, a pent up area of over 
50 square miles in the valley of the present Cuyahoga 
River, extending probably six or seven miles northward 
from near where Akron is now. 

New outlets were found in comparatively rapid succes- 
sion in the earlier ages. This may have been due partly to 
the influence of warmer sun rays than in the north ; but it 
was chiefly owing to the relative position of the outlets to 
the glacier. Being in a line nearly parallel to the ice edge, 
several outlets were opened in quick succession ; though 
the distance actually traveled northward by the ice bank 
during that time was short. 

Beginning at the east, the low places in the ridge, furnish- 
ing outlets, were successively : through the Grand River to 
the Mahoning Valley, by way of Orwell ; through the Cuy- 



THE) WEvSTERN RESERVE. 81 

ahoga River to the Tuscarawas Valley, by way of Akron ; 
through the Black River to the Muskingum Valley, by 
way of Harrisville ; through tlie Sandusky River to the 
Scioto Valley ; and through the St. Mary's River to the 
Great Miami. When the lake had dropped to the level of 
about 750 feet, the ice had melted back to an outlet 
through the Maumee River, leading to the Mississippi 
through the Wabash, by way of Fort Wayne, in a valley 
that furnishes evidence of having been a waterway toward 
the south-west subsequent to the time when it was drained 
to the eastward. 

OLD LAKE BEACHES. 

Along the south shore of our lake, and at distances of 
about two, three, and four miles from it, respectively, there 
are throughout the Reserve, distinct ridges which we may 
now see were successive shores of the lake. In Lorain 
County four such ridges may be traced for some distance. 
These sand ridges are very familiar to us ; but their origin 
may not have been well understood. They were and 
are still used as roadways. They were the thoroughfares 
over which our ancestors traveled on their journeys in the 
early days from the Eastern States to Ohio and farther 
west. 

We may form a clear idea of the origin of these ridges if 
we compare their elevations with the heights of the suc- 
cessive outlets of the lake. Retreating northw^ard along the 
peninsula of Michigan, the ice bank reached a depression 
in the watershed, leading to Grand River, Michigan, and 
here, at an elevation of about 725 feet, was a new outlet. 
Until the ice edge passed a lower point in the ridge, the lake 



82 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

rested at this height, and its waves washed the sand into 
what we designate as the " south ridge." When the great 
dam had receded to a point in the dividing ridge 30 feet 
lower, the lake halted again, and the second or "middle 
ridge " was formed ; and at 20 feet nearer its present level, 
the shore stood at our .'* north ridge," where it remained 
until the ice barrier reached the Strait of Mackinaw. 

It is not possible, after so many ages — during which land 
elevations must have relatively changed — to trace every, 
step of the lake's progress by comparing shore ridges with 
lake outlets ; but that these have been the successive stages 
of lake drainage and shore line formations, the measure- 
ments and the footprints left in the water ways, abundantly 
prove. 

THE LAKE CURRENT REVERSED. 

The glacier over New England and Eastern New York 
extended farther south than it did in western New York, 
so that the line of its receding edge was across the Ontario 
Valley, and at nearly a right angle with it. Lake Erie 
continued to empty its waters, with those of Lake Huron, 
toward the Mississippi River, through the Strait of Mack- 
inaw, until the ice wall had melted as far back as the 
beginning of the St. Lawrence River. Lake Ontario is 
now more than 300 feet below Lake Erie. While the glacier 
was melting backward over the Ontario Valley, these two 
lakes were one body of water. When, however, this greater 
lake had dropped nearly to the present level of Lake Erie, 
the north shore-land of the latter began to mark a dividing 
line between the two lakes ; and when Ontario had dropped 
to the level of the cliff at the mouth of the Niagara River, 



mn WKvSTl^RN RKSKRVE;. 83 

that river had found its way along the lowest path between 
the lakes, and the " Niagara Falls were born." This could 
have been possible only after Lake Ontario had found its 
outlet through the St. Lawrence River ; that is, it could 
not have been before the ice edge reached the beginning 
of that river ; and it may have been ages afterward. 

We must not conceive the Niagara Falls as having 
attained at once the height which they have at present. 
This work was gradual, requiring all the ages during which 
Lake Ontario was being drained to its present level. The 
length of this period we do not know. 

As affecting Lake Erie, after having reversed its current 
to the eastward, and brought the Niagara Falls into exist- 
ence, the work of the Ice Age may be considered as having 
closed. 

THE AGE OF LAKE ERIE. 

The determining of the time that has elapsed since the 
waters came to their present level : when Lake Erie became 
a distinct body of water, and the direction of its current 
was changed from west to east, is an interesting problem, 
and many valuable computations have been made to that 
end. 

The erosion of the Niagara Falls : that is, the action of 
the water in wearing the rock backward, toward Lake 
Erie, affords one means of approximating the time since the 
St. Lawrence River became the outlet of the Great Lakes. 
From records of the retrogression of the Falls during the 
past fifty years, it has been calculated that rock lias been 
worn away at an average rate of 5^^ feet per year. We can 
only assume this rate ; for, the uncertainty of any calcula- 



84 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

tion will be apparent when we consider the varying hard- 
ness of the rock through which the Falls have worn a gorge 
from Lake Ontario seven miles long, and also that ages 
may have passed while Lake Ontario was dropping to its 
present level from that of Lake Erie : that is, after the 
Niagara River had begun to pour over the cliff; but before 
it had grown strong enough to wear away rock at the rate 
estimated. 

If, however, this be assumed as the average rate, it will 
be found that nearly 7,000 years have passed since the close 
of the Ice Age, and the Niagara Falls began to recede. 
By the same reckoning it will appear that about 30, 000 years 
will be required to wear the Niagara gorge to Lake Erie, 
when our "mill pond" will be drained to a condition 
existing before the glacial era, viz.: a central stream fed by 
tributaries. 

While we may estimate 7,000 years as the time since the 
ice melted beyond the Ontario Yalley, we cannot conceive 
what time was required for Lake Erie to drop from the 
dividing ridge to its present level— the time during which 
its waters found their way through the valleys to the south 
and west. 

THE CAUSE OF THE GLACIER. 

The story of the Great Lakes, involving a study of their 
origin, the geological conditions prior to their appearance, 
and the climatic changes due to their existence, is a subject 
of absorbing interest. 

Perhaps nowhere on the globe had the Glacial Era a 
greater effect upon drainage, climate, and general topog- 
raphy than it had in this region, transforming, as it did, 



THE WKSTKRN RKSKRVK. 88 

the entire St. Lawrence system. The student can but won- 
der what could have caused this stupendous phenomenon. 
Scientific thought does not, as yet, pretend to certain 
knowledge of the causes. Prof. Wright, in the preface to 
his work, ''The Ice Age in North America," says: "The 
glacial age of North America is no longer a theory; but a 
well-defined and established fact." Having determined 
this, man cannot rest content with theories as to the forces 
that produced the Ice Age. 

Sir Robert Ball has written a book, "The Cause of an 
Ice Age," to prove that the position of the earth, relative 
to the sun, is such that the North Pole is beyond the influ- 
ence of the sun's warmth fur ages ; and for ages again is 
brought under its genial rays. This alternation, affecting 
both poles of the earth, is due to the attraction of other 
planets, relative to which the earth assumes the same posi- 
tion in recurring cycles of time ; and, in accordance with 
these laws, the glacial period, alike for both poles, but 
alternating in time, returns at intervals of about 21,000 
years. 

Vegetation in a fresh, green state, found far below the 
ice and snow of the Antarctic r«^gions, would seem to fur- 
nish proof of the soundness of this theory. 

Besides this astronomical theory, there are several others, 
all of which are advocated by able supporters. The terres- 
trial theory seems to be the most rational. It is based on the 
belief that internal convulsions caused great changes of 
levels on the continent ; that the region where glaciers 
originated was much higher than at present, and that the 
land of our north tenq^erate zone, though much lower than 
the Arctic in glacial times, was far above its present level. 



86 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

The Ice Age continued until the entire glacial area was 
lowered, when the glacier melted. The action of glaciers as 
we know them to-day — notably those in Alaska and in the 
Alps— abundantly proves ^heir law of operation during the 
Ice Age ; and one very significant fact goes far towards 
establishing the terrestrial theory concerning the origin of 
the glacial period, viz.: The bottoms of air the Great Lakes, 
excepting Erie, at their greatest depths ; that is, the beds 
of the central rivers of their original valleys, are lower than 
the level of the ocean. When these beds were formed, 
they must have been higher than they are now, or, above 
sea level. 

A SERVANT TO LAW. 

Whatever may have been the cause of the Ice Age, it is 
certain that during that era, and ever since the thawing of 
the ice barrier, our lake has been an obedient servant of 
the Supreme Law-maker. It has left traces by which an 
interesting history can be read. They tell us how its valley 
was ploughed out, and the clay furrow carried miles to the 
southward ; how cold and lifeless were its waters for a long 
time after the ice had melted ; that the lower forms of life 
appeared as soon as the warmth of the sun could temper 
the waters ; that life slowly evolved in form and complexity 
up to its present state ; that the waves of the lake have 
dashed against its shore, breaking rock into fragments, 
grinding these into pebbles and sand, depositing them in 
layers, and leaving the fertile beds for our tillage by shrink- 
ing into narrower limits. Here it awaits the next great 
epoch, its comj)lete drainage through the gorge of the Nia- 
gara. Then geological history will have repeated itself. 



The western reserve. 87 

CHANGES ARE GRADUAL. 

It is not possible to conceive the long stretch of time re- 
quired for the depositing of the soil of our Reserve. The 
years covered by all the history of mankind, even back be- 
yond the dimmest tradition, are but a moment compared 
with the ages'during which continents have risen ; rivers 
have worn out their troughs ; forests liave grown, have 
died of old age, and others have taken their places over 
and over again in countless repetitions. 

We are apt to think of the great geological transitions as 
produced by sudden convulsions, but this is not true to 
Nature's methods. Though her work may be impercepti- 
ble to us in its silent progress, she is producing the same 
transformations now as in the past. We must think of 
cycles of time for these changes, and know that Nature- 
one of the realms of God's manifestation — is, in Ler laws, 
like God Himself, "The same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever." 

AN EXEMPLARY PUBLIC SPIRIT. 

September 14, 1786, was the birthday of the Reserve. 
Although that part of it west of the Cuyahoga was claimed 
by the Indian tribes until 1805, and the General Govern- 
ment did not give up its claim to any part of it till 1800, 
the State of Connecticut, considering herself the rightful 
owner, proceeded to act on that belief, and on May 10, 
1792, donated a half million acres to sufferers from fire 
in the Connecticut towns of Greenwich, Norwalk, Fairfield, 
Danbury, New Haven, East Haven, New London, Rich- 
field, and Groton, There was, therefore, very good reason 
for duplicating in the Reserve, the names of some of the 
Connecticut towns. 



88 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

In May, 1795, Connecticut, in Assembly at Hartford, 
offered for sale her right to the land of the Reserve east of 
the Firelands, excepting the 25,450 acres which she had 
sold February 10, 1788, to Samuel Parsons. The tract 
offered was estimated at 3,000,000 acres. A committee of 
eight was appointed — one from each county of the state — 
to take in hand the business of sale. Contracts were soon 
made, and by September 2d, it was all sold, to forty-eight 
different purchasers. The deeds given w^ere recorded at 
Hartford in a "Book of Drafts," which was subsequently 
removed to Warren, Ohio. The price per acre was 40 cents, 
yielding the total sum of $1,200,000. 

In the plan devised for the expenditure of this money 
we have an exhibition of prudence, forethought, and 
economy that does honor to the men who composed the 
Connecticut Legislature at that time. Instead of dividing 
the proceeds among a few favored localities, for mere 
material improvements, they appropriated them for the 
highest good to all — for the noblest function of the state, 
viz.: the education of her people. They were set aside as a 
fund, the interest of which, for all time to come, should be 
applied to the support of the public schools of Connecticut. 
From this it may be seen that the persistent claim to the 
Reserve did not originate in selfishness or personal ambi- 
tion. It is gratifying to note that these men in high office 
were true to their trust. The claim had been made by all 
l7he citizens of the state, through their representatives ; and 
there was no good reason why the profits should not be 
shared by all. Some modern legislators of that state have 
shown poor appreciation of the motives of these unselfish 
benefactors, by refusing to make adequate appropriation 



THE WKSTKRN KKSERVK. ^9 

for the support of tlieir schools. Every resident on these 
lands, however, is proud to know that his farm or home lot 
helped to lay the foundations for education in the mother 
state; that it contributed to the splendid per cent of general 
intelligence for which Connecticut has been conspicuous. 

Calculated at the low average rate of 2 per cent simple 
interest, the fund, up to the present time, has more than 
tripled itself. Every acre of your land has contributed to 
the worthy cause. The original price of your ten acre farm 
has earned eight dollars and more for education, and still 
continues to yield an income. We are thus indirectly 
made participants in a great work. 

The wisdom of these patriots should be an example for 
our emulation, and not a substitute for our responsibility. 
To shirk duty, content to reap i^rofit from duty performed 
by our forefathers, is to be unworthy of American citizen- 
ship. X 

THE CONNECTICUT LAND COMPANY. /^\ 

On the 5th of September, 1795, the purchasers of these 
lands organized themselves into the Connecticut Land 
Company. They adopted articles of agreement, appointed 
a board of directors, and chose three of their number to act 
as trustees for the company, to take deeds from the pur- 
chasers and give therefor certificates of shares in the 
Keserve lands. The trustees empowered to give deeds to 
settlers were John Caldwell, Jonathan Brace and John 
Morgan. They were all living, and continued to sign deeds 
as late as 1836. The names of the men who signed the arti- 
cles of agreement and thus became members of the com- 
pany were : 



90 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



At water, Caleb, 
Austin, Eliphalet, 
Battle, William, 
Bliss, WilJiam, 
Boardman, Elijah, 
Brace, Jonathan, 
Bull, James, 
Burr, Timothy, 
Cleaveland, Moses, 
Coit, Daniel, 
/ Cowles, Solomon, / 
Edwards, Pierpont, 
Ely, Justin, 
Granger, Gideon, Jr., 
Griswold, Solomon, 
Hart, William, 
Holbrook, Daniel, 
Holmes, Uriel, Jr., 
H owland, Josephj 
Hubbard, Nehemiah, Jr., 
Hyde, Elisha, 
Johnson, James, 
Johnson, Robert C, 
Judd, William, 
Kelly, Ephraim, 
Kent, Benajah. 



King, Ebenezer, Jr., 
Law, William, 
Levvet, Thaddeus, 
Loomis, Luther, 
Lord, Samuel P. 
Lyman, AVilliam, 
Mather, Samuel, 
Mather, Samuel J. 
Miller, Ashur, 
ISTewbury, Roger, 
Perkins, Enoch, 
Phelps, Oliver, 
Root, Ephri?im, 
Sandford, Peleg, 
Starr, Ephraim, 
Stocking, Jabez, 
Stoddard, John, 
Storrs, Lemuel, 
Stow, Joshua. 
Street, Titus, 
Strong, Elisha, 
Swift, Tephaniah, 
Tracey, Uriah, 
White, Elijah, 
Williams, Joseph, 
Yates, Joseph C, 



The following constituted the first Board of Directors: 
Henry Champion, Moses Cleaveland, Samel W. Johnson, 
Ephraim Kirby, Samuel Mather, Roger Newbury, and 
Oliver Phelps. 



The western reserve. &l 

CLEARING THE TITLE. 

Before steps could be taken to induce settlers to buy 
lands, the company must make good the title it had re- 
ceived. The deed given by the state to the trustees was 
merely a quit-claim. Risks were to be assumed entirely by 
the company ; but the titles to be given to settlers must be 
guaranteed, and now was the time to strengthen the rights 
of the comj)any. The claim of the United States must first 
be adjusted. There was some reason in the demands of 
the General Government ; as all the colonies had been in- 
terested in the war with France to secure control of the 
north- w^est, so now all were equally interested in the aftairs 
of the newly acquired domain. The United States had 
made the laws for the entire North- West Territory and held 
the unquestionable right to control it. Connecticut early 
realized that the Reserve — *'New Connecticut" — was too 
far away to be governed easily ; and, therefore, when 
the Government made the fair offer to relinquish its 
right to the soil of the Reserve if Connecticut would give 
up all claim to jurisdiction over it, the proposition was ac- 
cepted, and the United States ceded its right to the soil, 
April 28, 1800. This settled all differences, and the title 
was immediately transmitted to the Land Company and to 
those who had purchased from it. Unqualified possession 
could now be given by the trustees of the company to all 
purchasers of that part of the Reserve east of the Cuyahoga. 
It was not until after the treaty with the Indians at Toledo, 
July 4, 1805, that deeds could be given of lands west of the 
Cuyahoga, either to purchasers or to the donees of " Fire- 
lands." After that treaty, and the lands west of the Cuya- 
hoga were surveyed, in 1806, the Firelands were deeded by 



92 THE WESTERN RE.SERVE. 

the state to donees directly. The other lands, by the 
agreement of 1800, became the property of the Land Com- 
pany, and were deeded by its trustees to individual pur- 
chasers. 

EQUALIZING VALUES. 

The problem which presented itself to the Land Com- 
pany immediately after its purchase was how to divide the 
lands so as to secure to each purchaser such proportion of 
the value of the whole tract (east of the Cuyahoga) as his 
sum invested bore to the whole amount paid. For the pur- 
pose of determining a basis for voting on rules and methods 
of procedure, the entire capital was divided into 400 shares 
of $3,000 each. An investor then owmed an undivided 
interest of as many four-hundredths of the entire tract as 
he held shares. 

Some portions of the new territory were more valuable 
than others, and the cutting off from valuable townships, 
and adding to others less desirable, seemed to be the only 
way to equalize values in land. To effect this, it was 
agreed that when the survey should be made, the agents of 
the company sent out to survey and divide the lands should 
pursue the following plan : 

1. Six of the valuable townships were to be set aside for 
the first improvements, which were to be made by the 
company. These lands were to be sold to actual settlers 
only. The townships selected are now by name (obviously 
then designated only by number) : 

Madison ) Euclid ) Puvahoo-n Co 

Mentor \ Lake Co. Newburgh f ^^^yaiioga Lo. 

Willoughby ) Youngstown— Mahoning Co. 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



93 



It was thought that these townships would early become 
centers of settlements. 

2. The best four of the remaining townships were to be 
surveyed into lots, of one hundred to each townsliip — that 
is, of 160 acres to each lot. The four townships would con- 
tain 400 lots, equaling the number of shares into which 
the capital had been divided. This would secure 160 acres 
of best quality land to the holder of each share. The 
townships selected are now : 



Bedford, 
Warrensville 



Cuyahoga Co. 



Perry — Lake Co. 
North field— Summit Co. 



Ten of the most desirable townships had now been 
appropriated. 



3. It was then proposed that the next best 24 whole 
townships and parts of townships be divided, parceled off, 
and added to others of inferior value for equalization. 
The townships, parts of townships, and 
to be applied as equalizers, are now : 



" gores," selected 



ENTIRE TOWNSHIPS. 



Auburn 

Newbury 

Munson 

Chardon 

Bainbridge 

Russell 

Chester 



Geauga Co. 



Solon 

Orange 

Mayheld 

Concord 

Kir tl and 

Springfield 

Twinsburg 



V Cuyahoga Co. 

> Lake Co. 

) 

Summit Co. 



94 Tit^ -WEST^kN r^se^rve;. 

FRACTIONAL TOWNSHIPS. 

Geneva, Conneaut Gore. 

Painesville, Ashtabula Gore. 

Independence, Saybrook Gore. 

Coventry, Madison Gore. 

Portage, Willougbby Gore. 

4. Equalization was impossible without a standard by 
which to determine land values. Accordingly, tlie next 
best eight townships were to be selected as average or 
standard townships, and those remaining (all not included 
in these four classes) were to be made equal to the stand- 
ards by receiving additions of parts of the twenty-four 
equalizers. It was the opinion of the company that in this 
way all investors would be placed on the same footing. 
The names of the towns selected are now : 

Pierpont ^ Poland— Mahoning Co. 

Monroe | 

Conneaut \ Ashtabula Co. Hartford — Trumbull Co. 

Saybrook | 

Harpersfield J Parkman — Geauga Co. 

A RICH COUNTY. 

It is interesting to note that Lake County may claim 
a larger proportion of its land (about 90^) as having been 
above the average in quality, in the judgment of the 
surveyors, than any other county in the Reserve east of 
the Cuyahoga. All the townships in the county, ex- 
cepting Leroy, were within the first three groups, as 
follows : Madison, Mentor, and Willoughby in the first 
group ; Perry in the second ; and Concord, Kirtland, 



THE WHSTKRN RKSKRVK. 98 

Painesville, and the Madison and Willoughby ** gores" in 
the third group. 

DISTRIBUTING THE LANDS. 

When this work was completed, it was found that there 
were, in the lands east of the Cuyahoga (not including the 
Parsons tract, and the lirst ten townships named above) 
ninety-three tracts, or equalized portions, varying in size, 
according to quality. Dividing the whole capital by ninety- 
three gave the value of each equalized tract as $12,903.23. 
The plan was to draw these tracts by lot. Numbers from 
one to ninety-three were written on slips of paper and 
deposited in a box. Each number represented a tract 
definitely located. To be entitled to an entire tract, a pur- 
chaser must have invested the sum of $12,903.23. Thoee 
who had invested less than this sum joined with one or 
more others in like circumstances, and shared with them 
the tract drawn by the combination. Each investor held 
one number for every tract value he had in the enterprise, 
and that person in a combination of minor holders whose 
name preceded the others alphabetically, drew for that 
combination. The first number drawn — whichever it might 
be — would belong to the owner or owners of share number 
one ; the second drawn, to owner or owners of share num- 
ber two, etc. The first draft was made January 29, 1798, 
when all but seven of the ninety-three tracts were drawn ; 
and in 1802 such of the remaining shares as had not been 
sold, were drawn. In 1807 the third draft was made, for 
the lands west of the Cuyahoga, and in 1809 the fourth 
drawing disposed of the remainder. Thus it seems that 
chance determined the first individual ownership of most 
of the land of the Reserve. 



96 THE WESTERN REvSERVE. 

THE FIRST WORK ON THE RESERVE. 

All was now ready for the survey, division, and settle- 
ment of "New Connecticut." Among tlie directors of the 
Land Company, and a shareholder in the enterprise, was 
Moses Cleaveland, a lawj^er, of Canterbury, Connecticut, a 
graduate of Yale College, a Brigadier General of the militia, 
and a Representative in the State Legislature. He was of 
dignified and soldierly bearing, had good abilities, and was 
of irreproachable character. He was chosen to conduct the 
expedition for the survey of the Reserve, and in the spring 
of 1796, he was put in command of a company of forty- 
nine men employed for that work. They were ordered to 
meet at Schenectady, and to proceed from there in a body, 
by way of Lake Ontario, Queenstown, Niagara, Buffalo 
and Lake Erie. Some of them were more than two months 
going from their homes to the Reserve. They ascended 
the Mohawk River, crossed country to the Oswego River, 
down which they journeyed to Lake Ontario, where they 
embarked in fiat boats. Navigation was x3erilous, the 
transportation of supplies slow, and they were hindered 
at Buffalo, where they were compelled to negotiate with 
the Iroquois Indians, before being permitted to proceed ; 
but "after many difficulties, perplexities and hardships, 
were surmounted," they "were on the good and promised 
land," says Moses Cleaveland, in his journal. They 
reached the Reserve and landed at the mouth of Conneaut 
Creek on Monday, July 4th, the greatest of days in 
the American's political calendar. The company was 
composed of men adapted to the work in hand. In the 
following list of their names, those whose occupation is 
not stated, were axemen and general laborers. The asterisk 



THK WKSTKKN KKvSKKVK. 97 

shows that the person was also among those engaged in 
completing the survey east of the Cuyahoga in 1797. 

Gen. Moses Cleaveland — Superintendent. 

Augustus Porter— Principal Surveyor and Deputy Su- 
perintendent. 

Seth Pease'^ — Astronomer and Surveyor. 

Amos Spofford^ ^ 

John Milton Holly ! <;, ,_, ,,,^„„ 

Richard M. Stodclard^' \ ^^^^'^^^Joi'^- 

Moses Warren'^ J 

Joshua Stow— Commissary. 

Theodore Shex)ard — Physician. 

Joseph Tinker^ — Boatman — Drowned the next year. 

Elijah Gun ; Anna, his wife, and their child. 

Job Stiles and Tabitha Cumi, his wife. 

Nathan Chapman and Nathan Perry provided fresh beef 
for the surveyors and traded with the Indians. 

Agnew, Samuel Hall, William B. 

Atwater, Amzi'^' Hamilton, James 

surveyor next year. 

Ayres, Elisha Hanchet, Luke 

Barker, Amos Harris, Thomas 

Barnes, Samuel Hungerford, Samuel 

Beard, David* Landon, Joseph^' 

surveyor next year. 

Benham, Shadrach Lock, John 

Benton, Stephen Mason, Asa'^" 

Briant, John Mclntyre, Joseph 

Burbank, Stephen Morley, Ezekiel* 

Coffin, Michael Munson, Titus V. 

Davenport, Samuel Parker, Charles"" 



98 THK WESTliRN RE.SliRVE. 

Doan, NatlianieP Proudfoot, George 

Dunham, Timothy Rice, Olney F. 

Forbes, Samuel Sawtel, Amos 

Gooding, George Shepard, Wareham* 

surveyor next year. 
Gray, Francis Shulay, Daniel 

Halket, James Wilcox, Norman 

These, the first white people to claim ownership by tak- 
ing actual possession of the Reserve, joined in celebrating 
the 20th anniversary of the birth of American freedom, 
which the fathers of many of them (and some of the men 
themselves) had fought to establish. In a crude and in- 
formal way they anticipated the hopes, the aspirations, the 
trials, and the hardships of the Reserve settlers. 

From the waters of Lake Erie these pioneers drank 
toasts as follows : 

1. The President of the United States. 

2. The State of New Connecticut. 

3. The Connecticut Land Company. 

4. May the Port of Independence, and the fifty sons 
and daughters who have entered it this day, be successful 
and prosperous. 

5. May these sons and daughters multiply in sixteen 
years, sixteen times fifty. 

6. May every person have his bowsprit trimmed and 
ready to enter every port that opens. 

The first formal celebration of Independence, held on the Reserve, took 
place at Warren in 1800, 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



The landing place, the east bank of Conneaut Creek, 
they named Port Independence, in honor of the day when 
they first saw it. 

After three days of rest they began their work. On the 
afternoon of Thursday, July 7, three of the surveyors, 
with five axemen, began tracing and measuring the Penn- 
sylvania line to find the south-east corner of the Reserve. 
This point (68 miles from the lake) they reached on Thurs- 
day afternoon, July 21, just fourteen days from the time of 
starting. In the corner they set a chestnut post, sixteen 
inches by twelve, and marked on the four sides as follows : 
North—'' Sixty-eight Miles, Lake Erie." East—" Penn- 
sylvania." South—" Latitude Forty-one Degrees North." 
West—" Southeast Corner New Connecticut." 

On the west side was added the date when the post was 
set, July 23, 1796. 

From tlie Pennsylvania line and the 41st parallel of 
latitude the parallels and meridians were surveyed five 
miles apart, describing the townships in squares. From 
the 4 1st parallel the townships in each row were numbered 
northward, beginning with 1, and each row was called a 
range, the ranges being numbered westward from the 
Pennsylvania line. That is, the twenty-four townships on 
the south line of the Reserve all had the same number (1), 
but each was in a different range. Owing to the course of 
the lake shore the ranges vary as to the number of town- 
ships they contain— from range 1, with thirteen townships, 
to range twenty-one, with only five townships. 

The labor attending the survey was arduous. Unfavor- 
able weather, and the difficulties of getting through swamp 
and thicket, caused so much delay that the survey of the 
UofC. 



lOo the; WEST:eRN reiservk. 

lands east of the Cujahoga was not completed till tlie fall 
of 1797. 

A CAPITAL IN SIGHT. 

While the surveyors were engaged in the work of the 
first fortnight, General Cleaveland planned an expedition 
to the site that had been designated on their map for the 
capital of New Connecticut. With provisions and a few 
companions he set out in a boat from Conneaut, and 
entered the mouth of the Cuyahoga, July 22, 1796. History 
states that before they reached the Cuyahoga, they sailed, 
by mistake, up a smaller stream, and on the discovery of 
their blunder they gave to the river the name which it now 
bears, Chagrin, as an expression of their mortification. 
They were obliged to sail some distance up the Cuyahoga 
River to find a suitable landing place. None of them had 
been there before. They found an Indian trail, which 
served them as a path up the hill, and while the boat was 
being secured at the landing. General Cleaveland, climbed 
up the east bank of the river and looked out upon a smooth 
field that gently sloped toward the lake. Here, in the 
angle between the river and the lake, was to be the city 
named by his comrades in lionor of this leader of the 
memorable expedition to the Reserve in 1796. 

In September the future city was planned and the lots 
surveyed. During the following summer "Cleaveland" 
was the center of operations in completing the survey east 
of the Cuyahoga. 

After the laying out of the city lots was completed, Gen. 
Cleaveland left for his home in Connecticut, and it is not 
known that he ever revisited the Reserve, although he 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. lOl 

manifested great interest in the city of Cleveland np to the 
time of his death, which occurred in 1806. There are two 
maps of Cleveland in these early days — one by Amos Spof- 
ford, dated October 1, 1796 ; and the other by Seth Pease, 
who also made, on his return home in the fall of 1797, the 
first published map of the Reserve. 

THE SETTLEMENT OF THE RESERVE. 

It will now be clearly seen why the Reserve was the last 
of the great tracts of Ohio to be settled. The uncertainty 
of title to the land prevented the earlier clearing of its 
forests and the planting of homes. When, however, the 
Land Company could make its title good, and the rights of 
the Indians had been bought by the Government, the 
peopling of the desirable portions of the country was rapid. 
The settlers were almost wholly of New England origin, and 
a great majority of them were from Connecticut. The 
mode of settlement in the early days has been noted by his- 
torians as peculiar. Pioneers made their choice of lands 
quite independent of one another ; often blazed the way to 
new fields unmindful of the mutual conveniences upon 
which first-comers usually depend. The experiences re- 
sulting from this self reliance in the beginning, had the ten- 
dency to develop strength of character, though there ex- 
isted small need of such schooling. These people were de- 
scendants of the courageous Puritans and Pilgrims who 
landed in New England in the early part of the seventeenth 
century. 

So far as known, the first structure on the Reserve that 
in any way resembled a house was built on the site of 
Cleveland in 1786. It was a log hut used for storing sup- 



102 THK WESTERN RESERVE. 

plies that had been carried across country on pack horses 
from Pittsburgh, to be further transported from the Cuya- 
hoga River by boat to Detroit. This was ten years before 
the future capital of New Connecticut was laid out. 

During the winter of 1796-7 there were but two families 
on the Reserve : that of Judge James Kingsbury at Con- 
neaut and of Job Stiles at Cleveland, with the latter of 
whom Gen. Edward Paine spent the winter, and opened 
the first dry goods store at Cleveland the next season. 

Settlements were begun before 1800 in all the counties of 
the Reserve east of the Cuyahoga excepting Ashland, but 
their growth until after that year, was slow. At the time of 
the organization of Trumbull County, July 10, 1800, the 
population of the Reserve probably did not exceed three 
hundred. These people were unprovided with municipal 
government of any kind. The peace which reigned during 
this period of nearly four years of self-government, with- 
out laws, is highly commendatory of their qualifications 
for citizenship. 

Settlements were first made as follows : 



TOWNSHIPS. 




COUNTIES. 


YEAKS. 


Conneaut 


. 


Ashtabula 


1796 


Cleveland 


- 


Cuyahoga 


a 


Youngstown - 


- 


Mahoning 


u 


Harpersfield - 


- 


Ashtabula 


1798' 


Warren 


- 


Trumbull 


u 


Burton 


- 


Geauga 


c< 


Conneaut (permaner 


It) - 


Ashtabula 


1799^ 


Austinburg - 




u 


a 


Vernon 


- 


u 


i( 



COUNTIES. 




YEARS. 


Ashtabula 


- 


1799 


a 


- 


*' 


Mahoning 


^ 


_ " 


Lake 


_ 


*' 


u 


_ 


'* 


Portage 


. 


'' 


u 


- 


'' 


Trumbull 


Spr: 


Lngof 1800 



THU WKvSTKRN RESERVE. 103 

TOWNSHIPS. 

Monroe 

Windsor 

Poland ... 

Mentor . - - _ 

Willoughby - 

Ravenna 

Deerfield 

Gustavus 

David Hudson effected a settlement of his land at 
Hudson, Summit County, in 1799 , but did not bring 
out his family till the next year. John Walworth and 
Edward Paine settled in Painesville (now in Lake County) 
before July, 1800. 

In these eighteen settlements prior to the birthday of 
Trumbull County, and before government was fully organ- 
ized on the Reserve, there were sore discouragements. For 
two years after the survey, the few families of Cleveland 
suffered from fever and ague, and scarcity of food. In the 
spring of 1799, the first grist and saw-mill was built at the 
Falls— now the site of Newburg. The second saw-mill was 
erected at Windsor, in 1800, and the second grist-mill at 
Austinburg, in 1801,, Tlie first settlements of Firelands 
were made in 1808, in the townships of Erie County (then 
Huron) bordering on the lake, the government being then 
able to make good its deeds to those lands. 

None but the courageous could have endured the priva- 
tions of the early days. It is no part of the plan of this 
book to follow the misfortunes of local settlements to their 
final triumphs. Success was assured to men and women 



104 THH WESTERN REvSERVE- 

nerved by their religious zeal, and by their faith in the 
power of perseverance. 

RELIGION ON THE RESERVE. 

The influence of Christianity had been felt on the Reserve 
before Connecticat settlers came here. Efforts had been 
made by the Moravians to Christianize the Indians. A 
mission was established in Tuscarawas County as early as 
1762. In 1786 a company of Moravians left Detroit — 
whither they had been driven by the Indians in a terrible 
massacre four years before — with the purpose of returning 
to their old field. They reached the Cuyahoga, and 
had gone as far south as the township of Independence, 
when they were warned against going further. They re- 
mained there a year, then moved to the mouth of the 
Black River, intending to settle there. Their labors at that 
time resulted in little that was of permanent value, and 
they were soon compelled to leave, crossing the lake into 
Canada ; so that the Reserve, as a mission field, was with- 
out laborers at the time of the survey. 

The first church on the Reserve was organized with sixteen 
members, at Austinburg, Ashtabula County, October 24, 
1801, by Rev. Joseph Badger, who came to Trumbull County 
in 1800, as the first missionary sent by the Eastern States 
to the Indians of northern Ohio. The earlier churches were 
of the Congregational denomination, and Calvinistic in 
theology, but so rich a field for home-making could not 
long fail to attract people of other sects. On the Reserve 
the right to individual opinion concerning religious forms 
has ever been sacred, and security has been guaranteed in the 
exercise of it. There have been times, however, in the history 



TIIK WESTERN RESERVE. 105 

of the Reserve when forbearance in tliis respect has been ])ut 
to the test. One such instance was in 1840 to '43, when the 
Rev. Charles Fitch preached the doctrines of the ''Second 
Adventists" with extreme earnestness. One William Mil- 
ler, who was the founder of that body of believers, had an- 
nounced that all the world except the " Millerites" would 
be surprised by a sudden end of things terrestrial, where- 
upon the congregation of his followers in Cleveland, led by 
the Rev. Mr. Fitch, made full preparation for the great 
day, set for April 12, 1843. 

The Socialistic or "Free Love" Society, which sprang 
up in Berlin Heights, Erie County, thirty- five years ago, 
was accorded full liberty, until by its journals and maga- 
zines it offended the moral sense of the public, when its 
vagaries were denounced. 

As early as 1822, the Shakers established their peculiar 
order of worship in Cuyahoga County. They believed in 
a special, divine endowment of one Ann Lee, and they in- 
creased in numbers with none to molest them. 

Tlie eccentric Lorenzo Dow preached in Cleveland in 
1827 with signal effect. 

The variety of religious sects fully proves the tolerant 
spirit of the Reserve, "fhere was one phase of church 
zeal, which, though it was confined to a single township, 
succeeded in provoking wide-spread comment. Kirtland, 
Lake County, was conspicuous as a seat of Mormonism 
from 1831 to 1837. The Mormons built a temple there in 
1834. In 1830, one Sidney Rigdon was preaching as a 
reformer at Mentor, a town adjoining Kirtland. In that 
year a Mormon mission, consisting of four enthusiasts^ 
one of whom was a pedler of tinware, by the name of 



doe THR WESTERN RESERViR- 

Pratt, whose liome was at Mentor, went to that town 
from Palmyra, New York. 

Joseph Smith began preaching in Kirtland, in 1831, 
to a ijart of Rigdon's congregation living there, who, 
being ripe for belief in any revelation sufficiently start- 
ling, at once espoused the new faith, and Rigdon him- 
self was suddenly converted, and became a resident of 
Kirthind. The Mormons manifested business activity, 
and attempted to charter a bank. Their failure in this 
attempt did not, however, deter them from issuing notes. 
None of these being collectible by hiw, many were never 
redeemed. Tlie general character of their leaders being 
distrusted, the whole congregation left Kirtland in 1837 for 
fresher pastures in Missouri. 

Ashtabula County seems to have been closely connected 
with the origin of Mor monism. 

In 1809 to 1813, one Solomon Spaulding was engaged in 
business at Conneaut, and not being in robust health, he 
spent much of his time at writing, a kind of w^ork for which 
he possessed considerable talent. Being well educated, he 
entertained opinions on various subjects that were inter- 
esting to his acquaintances. He wrote a book entitled 
''Manuscript Found," which he was desirous of publish- 
ing; in fact, he submitted it to a printing firm in Pitts- 
burg, from whose custody the manuscript years after- 
ward mysteriously disa^^peared. From the strongest 
circumstantial evidence it is believed that Spaulding' s 
writings — somewhat altered — served as the basis ol* sub- 
stance of the Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith 
claimed to have found underground on a hillside at Pal- 
myra in 1827 ; and also that Sidney Rigdon was the 



THE WEvSTERN RESERVE. 107 

medium through whom Spaulding's manuscript found its 
way to Joseph Smith. It is not the purpose to trace the 
chain of evidence, nor to relate the history of Mormonism 
in this book. These facts have been stated solely for the 
purpose of noting that on the Reserve Mormonism took 
the first step in its course. 

Having been abandoned for many years, the Temple at 
Kirtland was purchased and thoroughly renovated by a 
wing of the sect — the Strangites — followers of Joseph Smith 
II. They are the ' ' Re-organized Church of Latter Day 
Saints.'' It is fair to say that, with the history of Mormon- 
ism, which has been far from creditable to the character 
professed by its leaders, the law-abiding citizens who wor- 
ship in the Temple at Kirtland are not to be associated. 

The vagaries of fanaticism on the Reserve are conspicu- 
ous because they are exceptions, and are not in any sense 
characteristic of its religious thought. They are evidence 
of a wide-spread and deep-seated respect for the riglits of 
conscience. In spite of the aberrations of judgment, in- 
duced by the crafty and designing, this spirit of tolerance 
has maintained a religious poise and stability indicative of 
a strength of character nowhere excelled. 

EDUCATION ON THE RESERVE. 

The true descendant of Puritan stock marches with a 
Bible in one hand and a school book in the other; and 
these were precisely the safe-guards of the people who 
came to build homes in this wilderness in the early days of 
the 19th century. They inherited from their ancestors in 
the mother state a tliirst for knowledge, and although it 
was long before the dawn of anything like our present 



108 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

system of public instruction, they organized as best they 
could for the education of their children. The first school 
on the Reserve, of which any certain knowledge is pre- 
served, was opened in Harpersfield, Ashtabula County, in 
1802. Its first teacher was Miss Elizabeth Harper, daughter 
of Alexander and Elizabeth (Bartholomew) Harper, and a 
member of one of the three families who settled Harpersfield 
in the spring of 1798. The log school-house for this first 
school stood on lot number 14, but a short distance east of 
the center of the village of Unionville. Miss Harper taught 
here for several summers. In winters Alexander Tappan 
was master. In 1806 it is recorded that Mr. Tappan and Miss 
Harper were married. This school was not in any sense 
public, as we use the term ; but was open only to those 
who could pay the tuition fee. 

The Reserve holds an honored relation to the public 
school system of the state, claiming as residents the two 
men who did most for public instruction : the Rev. Mr. 
Jennings of Akron, and the Hon. Harvey Rice of Cleveland. 
The public school system did not extend to the rural 
districts in general during the first half of the century ; but 
as the necessity for schools became greater, academies and 
seminaries sprang into existence in nearly every county. 
Many of these institutions, supported by the tuition fees 
charged, naturally passed off the stage when public taxes 
were levied sufficient to pay for efficient Grammar and 
High Schools ; yet they still abide in the memory of their 
students, some of whom assemble from time to time for 
reminiscence and renewal of early friendships. Higher 
education is being more and more fully provided by the 
state, which offers instruction from the primary school in 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 109 

every district to the normal scliool where one may acquire 
the principles of the art of teaching. Among the latter are : 
The Western Reserve Normal School at Milan, Erie County; 
and The North-eastern Normal College at Canfield, Mahon- 
ing County. 

The following are some of the institutions that have given 
way to new conditions : Barton Academy, Geauga County, 
established in 1803, the first in the State of Ohio ; Geauga 
Seminary, at Chester, Geauga County ; Madison Seminary 
and Painesville Academy, Lake County ; Norwalk Acade- 
my, Huron County, besides others less widely known. 
Some are still doing good service. Among such are : Lake 
Erie College and Seminary (formerly Lake Erie Female 
Seminary) at Painesville, Lake County ; Grand River In- 
stitute at Austinburg, Ashtabula County, incorporated in 
183] at Mechanicsville, as a school for manual labor, with 
the name: "Ashtabula County Institute of Science and 
Industry." When it was moved to its present location the 
named was changed. It has been open to both sexes since 
1840. The Western Reserve Academy at Hudson, Summit 
County, occupies the old buildings of the Western Reserve 
College, serving as a preparatory school for Adelbert 
College (Cleveland.) 

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. 

1. Adelbert College was founded in 1826, at Hudson, 
Summit County, as the Western Reserve College. It is 
non-sectarian. The collegiate department was removed to 
Cleveland in 1882, and its name was changed to Adelbert 
College. It is open to male students only. 

2. Oberlin College was founded in 1834, at Oberlin, Lor- 



no THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

ain County. The Congregational denomination holds the 
controlling influence. It is open to both sexes. An anti- 
slavery spirit prevailed as characteristic of the institution 
in its early years, and Oberlin co-operated with the Ashta- 
bula County Anti-Slavery Society. 

3. Baldwin University was founded by John Baldwin at 
Berea, Cuyahoga County, in 1856. It is a Methodist 
school. John Baldwin was the pioneer in the development 
of the Berea sandstone industry. 

4. German Wallace College, founded 1864, is another in- 
stitution at Berea under the auspices of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

5. Hiram College, at Hiram, Portage County, was char- 
tered by the Disciples denomination in 1867. It was 
opened in 1851 as the ^'Western Reserve Eclectic Insti- 
tute." 

6. Buchtel College, at Akron, Summit County, was 
founded by the Universalists in 1870, and named in honor 
of John R. Buchtel of that city, who was the original 
donor. 

LiBRAEiEs. — Cleveland, Sandusky, and the smaller cities 
are amply provided with libraries. The Western Reserve 
Historical Society building on Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, is 
evidence of the love of learning and research. Other his- 
torical societies are the Ashtabula County, the Mahoning 
Valley, and the Firelands, the latter at Norwalk, Huron 
County. 

ANTI-SLAVERY SENTIMENT. 

Conneaut, Ashtabula County, was ''The Plymouth of 



THK WESTERN RESERVE. Ill 

the Reserve," and in this county the spirit of freedom 
early asserted itself. An anti- slavery Society was formed 
in 1832, and the harbor at Ashtabula was the northern 
terminus of an "underground railroad" as early as 1850. 
Giddings and Wade, Congressmen at Washington from 
Ashtabula County, were a power against slavery, and 
lacked nothing that the support of their constituency could 
give of encouragement. The sisters, Betsy and Cornelia 
Cowles, worked wonders in creating sentiment for freedom. 
John Brown had his headquarters for a time in West An- 
dover. There were exciting scenes enacted in the work of 
aiding fugitives from the Southern States across through the 
Northern States and over the lakes into Canada. The 
slave represented by George Harris in Mrs. Stowe's Uncle 
Tom's Cabin was captured at Madison, Lake County, and 
rescued on reaching Ashtabula County at Unionville. No 
section of equal size did more for the w^ar against slavery 
than Ashtabula County. The agitation continued from the 
earliest manifestation of feeling down to the day of Emanci- 
pation, January 1, 1863. 

MEN OF THE RESERVE IN PUBLIC OFFICE. 

Though the Reserve comprises not more than 13% ol the 
area of Ohio, it may take pride in the proportion of men it 
has been able to contribute to government council, execu- 
tive chamber, and court of justice. 

Presiden^ts. — Three of the Presidents of the United 
States resided on the Reserve : James Abram Garfield, of 
Mentor, Lake County ; Rutherford B. Hayes received a 
part of his education at the Norwalk Academy, Huron 
County ; and William McKinley lived at Niles, Trumbull 
County, up to the age of nineteen. 



112 THE WESTKRN RESERVE. 

GOVERNORS OF THE STATE. 

Of the 38 Governors of Ohio, the Reserve has furnished 
six : 

Samuel Huntington, Cleveland 1808-1810 

SeaburyFord, Burton 1849-1850 

Reuben Wood, Cleveland 1851-1853 

David Tod, Youngstown 1862-1864 

John Brough, Cleveland 1864-1865 

Jacob Dolson Cox, Warren 1866-1868 

Tod and Brough were two of the three War Governors. 

Besides the Governors resident on the Reserve at the 
time of their public service, Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes 
and Gov. George Hoadly spent part of their early life here, 
the latter going to Cleveland at the age of five, where he 
was graduated at the Western Reserve College. 

GENERALS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Russell A. Alger Medina County. 

James Abram Garfield, then of Cuyahoga County. 

Quincy A. Gillmore Lorain County. 

Joel A. Dewey Ashtabula County 

Emerson Opdycke Trumbull County 

J. W. Reilly Summit County 

JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO. 

Under the first state constitution, 1802, there were thirty 
Judges of the Supreme Court, nine of whom were from the 
Reserve : 

Matthew Birchard Trumbull County 

Peter Hitchcock Geauga County 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 113 

Samuel Huntington Cuyahoga County 

Ebenezer Lane Huron County 

Calvin Pease Trumbull County 

Rufus P. Ranny Trumbull County 

Rufus P. Spalding Summit County 

George Tod Trumbull County 

Reuben Wood Cuyahoga County 

Under the second constitution, 1851, there have been 
thirty -eight Judges, of whom nine have been from the 
Reserve : 

W. W. Boynton Lorain County 

Luther Day Porttige County 

Franklin Dickman Cuyahoga County 

Rufus P. Ranny Trumbull County 

William T. Spear Trumbull County 

Walter F. Stone Erie County 

Milton Sutlitf Trumbull County 

William H. Upson Summit County 

Horace Wilder Ashtabula County 

The second state constitution, (the one now in force,) 
was adojDted at Cincinnati, March 10, 1851. At the con- 
vention there were 110 delegates, of whom seventeen were 
from the Reserve : 

S. J. Andrews Cuyahoga County 

Horace D. Clark Lorain County 

Friend Cook Portage County 

Joseph M. Farr Huron County 

Robert Forbes Mahoning Coun ty 

H. C. Gray Lake County 

Peter Hitchcock Geauga County 



114 THK WESTERN RESERVE. 

Ruben Hitchcock Cuyahoga County 

S. Humphreville Medina County 

B. B. Hunter Ashtabula County 

William S. C. Otis Summit County 

Jacob Perkins Trumbull County 

Rufus P. Ranny Trumbull County 

L. Swift Summit County 

James W. Taylor , Erie County 

N. S. Townshend Lorain County 

E. B. Woodbury Ashtabula County 

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE RESERVE. 

The Reserve is not without its due proportion of eminent 
men and women, some of national reputation, who have 
been proud to claim it as a residence at some time. 

The list below is arranged, not with regard to merit, but 
alphabetically. 

Brown, John, "of Ossawattomie," the abolitionist, of 
world-wide fame, was born in Torrington, Conn., in 
1800 ; came to Hudson, Summit County, when five 
years of age, worked on the farm and in a tannery 
with his father, Owen Brown. He moved to Pennsyl- 
vania, but returned to Ohio in 1836. From Ohio five 
of his sons went to Kansas, where their father joined 
them in 1855. The story of his attempt to free the 
slaves, his arrest, imprisonment, and execution are 
well known. 

Brow^n, Chaeles F., (Artemus Ward) the humorist, be- 
gan to attract general attention while residing at 
Cleveland. 



TIIK WKvSTKKN KKSKRVK. US 

Brush, Charles Francis, the inventor of electrical ap- 
paratus, was born in Euclid, Cuyahoga County, in 
1840. He resides in Cleveland. In skill and in- 
genuity he ranks with Edison. 

Cooke, Jay, the master banker and financier, had his 
summer home on Gibraltar Island, in Put-in-Bay 
harbor, Ottawa County. He was born in Sandusky, 
1821, where he resided till he began business life, 
1889. 

Edison, Thomas Alva, the great electrician, the "Wizard 
of Menlo Park," was born at Milan, Erie County, in 
1847, where he spent his boyhood up to the age of 
twelve. 

Garfield, James Abram, was born in Orange, Cuyahoga 
County, in 1831. The story of his remarkable 
career is too well known to require repetition. It is 
a record of one whose life may well be held up as a 
model to the young. His experiences in a life of 
commonplace labor ; his work as an educator of high 
rank ; his brave and efficient service in the army; 
and his honorable ambition for, and success in at- 
taining, the office of President of the United States, 
place his life among those of really great Americans. 
The tragedy of his death cast a shadow over our en- 
tire country. His late home in Mentor, Lake 
County, is a spot sacred to all, and especially to the 
residents of the Reserve, for whose welfare he was 
ever zealous. 

GiDDiNGS, Joshua R,., came to Jefferson, Ashtabula 
County, in 1806, from Athens, Pa., where he was 



116 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

born in 1795. He was a E.epresentati\^e in Congress 
for many years, and in association with his law 
partner, B. F. Wade, he exerted a powerful influence 
against slavery, which was the absorbing topic of his 
later years in Congress. 

HowELLS, William Dean, the well-known author, spent 
part of his early life in Jefferson, Ashtabula County, 
His paternal home and many of his family connec- 
tions are still there. 

Kennon, George, the traveler and writer, who penned 
such graphic descriptions of the horrors of the Sibe- 
rian Mines, and reported from Cuba the conditions 
of that island during and after the Spanish War, 
1898, was born in Norwalk, Huron County, in 1845, 
and spent his early life there. 

McKiNLEY, William, v^^hose active life is still in evidence, 
was born in 1844, at Niles, Trumbull County, and 
there received his early education. In 1867, he 
changed his residence to Canton, Stark County. 
His opportunities as soldier, lawyer, congressman 
and Governor of Ohio, have contributed an ideal 
experience as a preparation for the highest civil 
office under our government, the Presidency of the 
United States, which he now occupies. 

Newberry, John Strong, was born in Windsor, Conn., 
in 1822. His father moved to Cuyahoga Falls, Sum- 
mit County, in 1824. The son was educated in 
Hudson and in Cleveland, where he was graduated 
from the Medical College in 1848. He was appointed 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 117 

State Geologist in 1869. As a geologist he ranks 
among the first in America, and perhaps in the world. 
He has received numerous honors, among them being 
an appointment to a professorship of Geology in 
Columbia College, N. Y. To liim and to Prof. G. F. 
Wright of Oberlin, residents of the Reserve are more 
indebted for a knowledge of the geology of the 
Great Lakes and their immediate vicinity, than to 
any other two men. 

Speis'cer, Platt R., should be remembered for his valua- 
ble services to the business world. He originated 
the Spencerian system of penmanship, which in 
pioneer days worked a revolution from chaos to neat- 
ness and order. He was born in Dutchess County, 
N. Y., in 1801, and came to Ashtabula County, Ohio, 
in 1810, settling in Geneva. Mr. Spencer developed 
his system of writing, and through him and the work 
of his five sons, the influence of their art found its 
way to business colleges and public schools. The 
system was presented by means of copybooks as 
early as 1859. Platt R. Spencer will not soon be 
forgotten. 

Thomas, Edith M., who has written poetry of a high 
degree of merit, was born in Chatham, Medina 
County. She was educated at the Geneva Normal 
Institute. Her poetic talent has been recognized by 
the ablest critics of our country. 

TouRGEE, Albion W., a jurist and author of ability, was 
born in Williamsfield, Ashtabula County in 1838. 
His stories, "A Fool's ijrr^nd" and "Bricks with- 



118 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

out Straw," are founded on Lis observations and 
experience in the War of the Rebellion. 

Wade, Benjamin F., was born in Massachusetts in 1800, 
and came to Ohio in 1821. He was a law partner 
with J. E,. Giddings. His services in the U. S. 
Senate were such as to give him a reputation second to 
none. The law offices of Giddings & Wade at Jeffer- 
son are objects of interest to visitors. 

BENEFACTORS. 

The following are names of men whom the people of the 
Reserve have special cause to remember. They labored for 
the public good, and the work they accomplished will long 
endure : 

Baldwin, Charles Candee, Judge of the Circuit Court, 
began his professional career in Cleveland in 1857. 
He was born in Middletown, Conn., in 1884. His 
father came to Elyria, Lorain County, in 1835. A de- 
voted student of history, Judge Baldwin was one of 
the founders of the Ohio State Archaeological Society. 
He was associated with Col. Whittlesey in organizing 
the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland. 
He wrote the Baldwin and Candee family genealo- 
gies, and his pamphlets, lectures, and addresses have 
done much for the preservation of Western Reserve 
history. 

Branch, William Witter, was born at Aurelius, New 
York, in 1804. He came to Kirtland, Lake County, 
with his father, William Branch, in 1834, and from 
thence to Madison, in the same county, in 1837. He 



tUJt WrtSTKRN R^SPiRVlt. 119 

was Judge of the Court of Commou Pleas, of Lake 
County, iu 1845. lu 1848 he began a work wliich 
entitles him to a place among public benefactors. At 
that time the lines of railway between Toledo and 
Buffalo lacked the connecting link from Cleveland to 
Erie. The idea of making this connection was strenu- 
ously opposed by influential men who were interested 
in the lake traffic. These opjDonents argued that a 
railway line would put an end to lake transportation, 
and their objections found strong supporters. Judge 
Branch held meetings in schoolhouses and other 
available quarters along the proposed route ; made 
eloquent appeals to the people ; cited railroad and 
transportation statistics ; and discussed legal ques- 
tions to prove the public utility of a great line of 
railroads to the west. He predicted that he and 
his hearers would see the day when tea would be 
transported eastward across the continent from San 
Francisco instead of around Cape Horn. The idea 
was thought preposterous, and was even ridiculed ; 
but the Judge fought for three years, and, associated 
with Hon. Abel Kimball, finally secured the charter 
for the Cleveland, Painesville, and Ashtabula Rail- 
road, which was at first surveyed to pass through 
the north part of Madison ; but, weightier influences 
prevailed and tlie plan of survey was changed to lay 
the road to the southward. Judge Branch was the first 
subscriber for the stock of the road, and when it had 
all been taken and the road w^as in operation, 
his efforts were recognized by the officers of the road, 
as well as by the people generally. Judge Branch 



120 THE WEvSTERN RESKRVE. 

lived to see the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern 
Railroad as the outcome of his early efforts, and also 
to witness the fulfillment of his prophecy concerning 
the tea trade. 

Hitchcock, Peter, was born in Cheshire, Conn., in 1781, 
and came to Burton, Geauga County, in 1806, settling 
on a farm. In 1814, his natural abilities having been 
recognized, he was sent to the State Legislature, and 
to Congress in 1817. Two years thereafter he was a 
Judge of the Supreme Court of the State. He was a 
member of the Constitutional Convention of 1851, 
and was so influential in the work of framing our 
state constitution as to win the title : " Father of the 
Constitution of Ohio." 

Jennings, Rev. L, pastor of a Congregational church in 
Akron, Summit County, in 1846, began in May of 
that year the perfecting of a plan for the improve- 
ment of the schools of Akron. He called the people 
together and proposed his method, and in November 
of that year laid before a meeting of citizens the de- 
tails of the proposed system. It was at once applied 
to the schools, and their improvement was so maiked 
that other towns soon adopted his plan. By 1855 
the state had granted legislative authority to apply 
the Akron Law generally throughout the state. Our 
present admirable system of public schools is the di- 
rect result of the efforts of this modest clergyman. 
A comparison of the details of his plan with the 
rules governing the best schools of to-day, reveals a 
thoroughness of study on his part that is marvelous. 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 12 1 

Kimball, Abel, born in 1801, came to Madison, Lake 
County, in 1812, with his father, Lemuel Kimball. 
Hon. Abel Kimball was a co-adjutor of Judge 
Branch in agitating public sentiment in behalf of the 
Cleveland, Painesville, and Ashtabula Railroad. 
Branch and Kimball traveled about the country to- 
gether, working for the common object. Hon. Kim- 
ball was the Lake County Representative in the 
Ohio Legislature, and engaged that the charter for 
the new road should be forthcoming, so far as 
legislation was concerned, if the Judge would en- 
list the people in the cause and secure a right of 
way. Together they fought till the battle was won. 
Hon. Abel Kimball was chairman of the meeting at 
which the new company was organized, and was treas- 
urer of the organization for several years. The work 
of these men led to far-reaching consequences, and 
though their sphere was limited, they possessed the 
foresight of true public spirit. They perceived the 
time as opportune for the work, and knew that the 
field of their labors was of signal importance, as the 
ground over which the connecting link in a great 
system of railroads was to be laid. They possessed 
the prophetic instinct, and of all such men it may 
be truly said, " Their works do follow them." 

Kirtland, Jared Potter, born in Wallingford, Conn., 
in 1793, came to Poland, Mahoning County, in 1823, 
after having been graduated at the Yale Medical 
School. His love of nature early led him to the 
pursuit of science. His knowledge of geology 



122 THK WHSTERN RKSKRVE. 

and botany was profound. As a man lie was quaint, 
but kind to a remarkable degree. As a naturalist, 
his influence upon agriculture and horticulture was 
felt throughout the north-west. Men of his attain- 
ments naturally gravitate to the centers of learning 
and civilization. He went to Cleveland about 1840, 
where he left monuments that testify to his character. 
They are : The Cleveland Medical College, of which 
he was one of the founders ; and the Kirtland Society 
of Natural History, of which he was the chief 
organizer. 

Rice, Harvey, teacher, poet, historian, and member of 
the State Legislature, was born in Massachusetts in 
1800, and was a graduate of Williams College. 
While in the State Senate, his zeal in behalf of educa- 
tion gave him a prominent position in the framing of 
laws therefor, notably in March, 1853, when the Re-or- 
ganizing Act was passed. The force of his activity 
earned for him the title of "Father of the Ohio 
School system." To Mr. Rice and to the Rev. Mr. 
Jennings, the latter of whom was clearly the grand- 
father ol the system, the citizens of Ohio are deeply 
indebted for their school laws. 

Stone, Amasa, was another of the Reserve's master minds 
of finance. He was of Massachusetts birth, and 
came to Cleveland in 1850. As banker and railroad 
manager, he exhibited unusual talent, but his phi- 
lanthropy established his strongest claim to remem- 
brance. The Home for Aged Women, and the build- 
ing for the Children's Aid Society, are testimonials 



THE WESTERN RESERVE- 123 

to his charitable spirit. It was tliioiigh his beuefac- 
tion that in 1882, the Western Reserve Col- 
lege at Hudson was removed to Cleveland. The 
change of location was made, and the name, 
Adelbert College, given to it in honor of Mr. Stone's 
son, Adelbert, whose untimely death from drowning 
cast a shadow over the father's life. In his sorrow, 
however, he did not forget others. His munificent 
gift to the college, increased by his family since his 
death, will bless generations to come. 

Whittlesey, Charles, born in Southington, Conn., in 
1808, was son of Asaph Whittlesey, who came to 
Tallmadge, Portage County, in 1813. Charles was 
graduated at West Point in 1831; served in the Black 
Hawk War; opened a law office in Cleveland; and, 
like many another great student, was led into 
scientific investigations. He wrote on geology, and 
also excelled in antiquarian research. Col. Whit- 
tlesey was broad in his attainments, and left historical 
work of great value. He was closely identified with 
the Western Reserve Historical Society, of which he 
was a founder and the first president. 

OTHER PROMINENT PEOPLE. 

The following named persons have been in some degree 
prominent : 

Bacon, David, born at Woodstock, Conn., in 1771 ; went 
to Tallmadge, Summit County, in 1807, as a mission- 
ary. Although the peculiar religious colony he 
aimed to plant there did not succeed, he was an able 



124 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

and devout man. Two of bis children, born in Tall- 
madge, became well known — a son, Dr. Leonard 
Bacon, of New Haven ; and a daughter, Delia, 
whose reading of Sliakspeare led her to believe 
she had discovered that Francis Bacon, and not 
William Shakspeare, was the author of the plays. 
Strange to say, she has followers to this day. 

Beard, William H., the famous portrait painter, was 
born at Painesville, Lake County, in 1825, and there 
his brother, James H., born in 1814 at Buffalo, N. Y., 
spent his boyhood days. The sons of James H. are 
celebrated artists. 

Ladd, George Trumbull, psychologist and professor in 
Yale College, was born in Painesville, Lake County, 
in 1812. 

Opper. Frederick, the skillful caricaturist, and his sister, 
Emma, the popular writer, were residents of Madi- 
son, Lake County, in their childhood. 

WooLSEY, Sarah, ("Susan Coolidge") claimed Cleve- 
land as a birthplace and early home. 

WooLsoTs^, Constance Fenimoee, also spent part of her 
early life at Cleveland. 

HIGHWAYS. 

Besides the Portage (part of the "dividing line") there 
were two well-defined Indian trails observed by the white 
men who first came here : one along the shore of the lake, 
extending its entire length ; the other passing through Erie 
County, south-eastward across Lorain and Medina Counties, 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 123 

and was an Indian route from Michigan and the northern 
lakes to the Tuscarawas Yalley. The Connecticut Land 
Company laid out "The Old Girdled Road" in 1798, the first 
recorded highway of the Reserve. From the Pennsylvania 
line it passed through towns in the following order : Con- 
neaut, Sheffield, Plymouth, Austinburg, Harpersfield, and 
Trumbull in Ashtabula County ; thence into Thompson, 
Geauga County ; on through Leroy and Concord, Lake 
County ; and westward to Cleveland. The first mail route 
was established in 1803, extending from Warren by way of 
Austinburg, Harpersfield, and Painesville, to Cleveland. 
Mail was at first carried by a man on foot, who made a trip 
(about 150 miles) once a week. A rider on horseback next 
took up the work, until increasing travel and mail necessi- 
tated the stage-coach. This latter continued to be the chief 
mode of travel for the first half of the century. For many 
years a stage line connected Buffalo and Cleveland by way 
of the south ridge. As early as 1820, stages ran between 
Cleveland and Columbus, also between Cleveland and 
Norwalk. The Ohio Canal was opened from Cleveland to 
Akron in 1827, and through to the Ohio River five years 
later. The first railroad on the Reserve was a part of the 
Mad River and Lake Erie, completed and in operation 
from Sandusky to Bellevue in 1839. The engine used on 
this road was the second in Ohio. 

Cleveland was the terminus of several railroads to the 
south and west, before it was connected with Buffalo by 
the great line now known as the Lake Shore and Michigan 
Southern, which was in operation as early as 1852, though 
not under that name till fifteen years later. 

The Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis 



126 THK WESTERN RESERVE. 

Road was opened in 1851, and a line from Cleveland 
to Pittsburg in 1852. The great east and west line of 
railway, the Lake Shore, is the most important on the 
Reserve. Together with the New York, Chicago, and St. 
Louis (" Nickel Plate ") it constitutes the main highway of 
travel over the Reserve between the Atlantic and the Pacific. 
Their tracks are parallel and near each other where they 
enter the Reserve at Conneaut, and continue so as far as 
Cleveland. Here they diverge, the Nickel Plate following 
the shore of the lake to Lorain— the Lake Shore Road turning 
southward to Berea and Elyria. The roads cross each 
other in the township of Brownhelm — north-western Lorain 
County— from which point the Nickel Plate bears south- 
westward to Bellevue, north-western Huron County, where 
it leaves the Reserve ; whereas the Lake Shore Line follows 
closely the shore to Sandusky, leaving the Reserve at Mar- 
blehead Junction, Ottawa County. A branch of the Lake 
Shore Road extends from Ashtabula, south east to JeflPerson 
and Andover, thence south to Youngstown. 

Before this through line from east to west was opened, 
traffic between Cleveland and the east was mainly by the 
lake. Elegant steamers were crowded with passengers from 
Buffalo westward. When the Lake Shore Road began its 
work, lake transportation was seriously crippled. It was, 
however, only a temporary lull. When it became apparent 
that Lake Erie was the most convenient route for bringing 
the iron and copper of the upper lake region down to the 
coal furnaces of Pennsylvania, railway facilities were 
promptly provided for the purpose. Several railway lines 
from lake-ports converge at Warren, and descend the 
Mahoning Valley, through Youngstown to Pittsburg, 



THE WKSTKKN KKSKKVK. 127 

passing out of the Reserve across the east line of Poland, 
the south-eastern township of the Reserve. 

The principal lines leading from lake-ports are named 
below, by giving first the name of the lake-port, then the 
direction of the line, or the chief cities whicli it reaches, and 
its termination beyond the Reserve. With the exception 
of the lines that meet in the Mahoning Valley, they are all 
traced to the township from which they leave the Reserve. 
This township is designated by its use after the word via. 

Beginning at the west end of the Reserve, the most 
important of these are : 

Lake Erie and Western, from Sandusky south-westward, 
via Margaretta, Erie County. 

Cinoinnati, Sandusky, and Cleveland, from Sandusky 
south-westward to Cincinnati, via Margaretta (fiom Cleve- 
land by the Lake Shore Line). 

Columbus and Hocking, from Sandusky to Columbus, 
via Lyme (at Bellevue), Huron County. 

Sandusky, Mansfield, and J^eioark Division of the Bal- 
timore and Ohio, from Sandusky to Monroeville, through 
Huron County, via New Haven. 

Wheeling and Erie, from Lake Erie at Huron River, to 
Norwalk, south-east across Lorain County into Medina 
County, via Westfield, Medina County, to Wheeling. 

Cleveland, Pittsburg, and Westeim, from Lorain, Elyria, 
Medina, Akron, Ravenna, Warren, and Pittsburg. 

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indiana'polis, 
from Cleveland to Columbus through Lorain County into 
Huron County, via Ripley. 

Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus, from Cleveland to 
Akron, via Norton, to Columbus. 



128 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

Cleveland and Pittsburg^ from Cleveland, Hudson, 
Ravenna, via Atwater to Pittsburg. 

New York, Pennsylvania^ and Oliio^ from Cleveland 
across the soutli-west corner of Geauga County into Portage 
County, to Warren, and from Warren to Ravenna and 
Akron. 

Pittsburg and Western^ from Painesville south to Char- 
don, Warren, and Youngstown (Painesville and Youngs- 
town). 

Aslitdbula^ Youngstown^ and Pittsburg^ from Ashta- 
bula south to Warren and Youngstown. 

Ashtabula and Jamestown, from Ashtabula south to 
Jefferson, and south-east, via Williamslield, to Jamestown. 
v^ Niles and New Lisbon^ from Niles south, via Canfield, 
to New Lisbon. 

Branch of Ashtabula, Youngstown, and Pittsburg, 
from Niles southwest, via Berlin, to Alliance. 

Alliance and Northern, from Braceville, Trumbull 
County, south-west into Portage County, via Deerfield, to 
Alliance. 

It will be seen that facilities for travel by rail are ample. 
The highways for road vehicles, however, are in great need of 
improvement. As before stated, the natural advantages 
for the east and west roads are better than those for the 
north and south. The bicycle, as a means of locomotion, 
has in some districts led to the improvement of roads. 
When "the silent steed" shall have reached the goal to 
which its use is surely tending, viz., its practical utility as 
a means of travel in the pursuit of business ; when it is 
considered as more than a machine for pleasure, the demand 
for better roads will be more generally, as well as more 



THE WEvSTERN REvSERVE. 129 

willingly, heeded. That other and latest invention, the 
automobile, will doubtless be in common use among people 
of even moderate means in the due course of the evolution 
of machinery. Roads will receive increased attention as 
oar Reserve grows with the spirit of the times. 

We are in the path of the great Trans-Continental Boule- 
vard which has been proposed, to extend from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific. A highway for vehicles of all kinds (other 
than the steam railway train), traversing our land from 
New England to California, will be a means of uniting the 
American people more closely through the bonds of ac- 
quaintance. States and counties will, without doubt, re- 
spond to the call for the necessary money and labor, and the 
Reserve will gladly contribute a share for the pleasure and 
profit of a ride over its one-hundred-twenty miles. 

FOR FURTHER READING. 

The writings of Francis Parkman have been outlined on 
a preceding page. In the following works may be found 
complete and detailed information on the topics discussed 
in this book. For facility of reference, the arrangement of 
the list is by authors, in alphabetical order. 

Ball, Sir Robert, The Cause of an Ice Age, No. 1 of Modern 

Science Series. 1 Vol., 1891. 
Black, Alexander, The Story of Ohio. 1 Vol., 1888. 
Dana, James D., Text Book of Geology. 1 Vol. 
Dickinson, Ellen E., New Light on Mormonism. 1 Vol., 

1885. 
Drake, Samuel G., The Aboriginal Races of North 

America. 1 Vol., 1880. 



180 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

Ellet, Elizabeth F., The Pioneer Women of the West. 1 
Vol. 

Fiske, John, Excursions of an Evolutionist. 1 Vol., 1883. 
A Century of Science and other Essays. 1 Vol., 
1899. 

Howe, Henry, Historical Collections of Ohio. 2 Vols. 
First edition appeared in 1846, and the second in 
1886, to which some additions were made in 1891. 
Published by the State of Ohio. 

Ho wells, William Dean, Stories of Ohio. 1 Vol., 1897. 

Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. Travels and Ex- 
plorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 
1610 to 1791. The original language and an English 
translation are on op]30site pages. The work will 
com^Drise many volumes, sixty- six having been 
printed, with as yet no approach to completion. 
They are i:>nblished by Burrowes Brothers & Co., 
Cleveland, Ohio. 

McKenney and Hall, History of the Indian Tribes of North 
America. 3 Vols., illustrated, 1838. 

Moorehead, Warren K., Primitive Man in Ohio. 1 Vol., 
1892. 

Morgan, Lewis H. , The League of the Iroquois. 1 Vol. , 1851. 

Newberry, John Strong, Geological Survey of Ohio. Vols. 
1 and 2 of the Geology of the State by Counties, 1872. 

Rice, Harvey, Pioneers of the Western Reserve. 1 Vol., 
1882. 

Schoolcraft, Henry R., History, Condition, and Prospects 
of the Indian Tribes of the United States. 6 Vols., 
illustrated. Published by Authority of Congress, 
1851-1857. 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. 13 1 

Shaler, N. S., Nature and Man in America. 1 Vol., 1801. 

The Story of Our Continent. 1 Vol., 1891. 
Whittlesey, Charles, Early History of Cleveland. 1 Vol., 

1867. 
Wright, G. Frederick, The Ice Age in North America. 1 
Vol., last edition, 1891. 

Man and the Glacial Period. 1 Vol., 1892. It is 
published as No. LXIX. of the International Scien- 
. tilic Series, by D. Appleton and Company. 

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST. 

The child of Mr. Kingsbury, born in the early winter of 
1796 and '97, at Conneaut, was the first white child born on 
the Reserve. 

Sandusky has the finest natural harbor on the Great 
Lakes, and has also the reputation of manufacturing more 
wheels than any other city in the Union. 

The cement and sewer pipe manufactured at Akron, are 
known throughout the United States as of first quality. 

The stoneware, or pottery, of Summit County is cele- 
brated. 

In the opinion of Henry Howe, compiler of the Ohio 
Historical Collections, there aie but two streams in the 
state to whose waters the speckled trout is native, and 
these are within the Reserve. They are the cool and clear 
waters of the Castalian Spring, in Erie County, and the 
springs at the source of the Chagrin River, from the con- 
glomerate rock of Geauga County. 



132 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 



INDEX, 



Surnames given in lists are arranged alphabetically, and do not appear 
in this index. For such lists see surnames. 

PAGES 

Anti-Slavery Sentiment 110 

Area of Reserve, compared l'-^ 

Authorities, List of 129-131 

Benefactors of the Reserve, List of llS-123 

Boulders '^5 

Boulevard, trans-continental 129 

Champion, Henry 16 

Church, first on Reserve 104 

Claims to lands of the Reserve 29 

Cleaveland, Moses 58, 90, 96, 100 

Cleveland, first surveyed 100 

Cleveland, Painesville, and Ashtabula R. R 119, 121 

Colleges of Reserve 109 

Conglomerate rock 74 

Connecticut Land Company 89-90 

Connecticut School Fund 88 

Counties of Ohio, early 14 

Counties of Reserve, by townships 46-57 

Counties of Reserve, table of . • ■ 42 

Dividing line on Reserve 13 

Dividing ridge on Reserve • • 61 

Drainage of Reserve 63 

Education on the Reserve 107-110 

Elevations, highest on Reserve 62 

English and French contrasted 31 

Erie Valley, drainage of 78 

Erosion, work of 74 

Farms of Reserve, titles of 20, 21 

" soil of 73 

" tracing of 43 

Firelands 28 

Geology of the Reserve 71-87 



THE WESTERN RESERVE. ^^^ 

, ,. .... 125 

Girdled Road, the old g^ 

Glacier, causes of ,.3 

Glacier, edge of, in Ohio ^^^ 

Grist Mill, first on Reserve 124-129 

Highways of the Reserve ^^ 

Huntington, Samuel ^^ 

Huron Valley, drainage of ^^ 

Indians, North American g^ 

home of 04 33 

" Iroquois League of ' ^^ 

*' noted chiefs among 2^ 

rights of 33_4^ 

tradition of Eries 2^ 

tribes of Northern Ohio - ^^ ^^^ -^^2 

Jennings, Rev. I ' gg 

Lake Erie, age of gj^ 

old beaches of '~8-81 

outlets of , ancient ' g^ 

reversal of current of ^^^ 

Lake Shore R.R g.j 93 

Lands, distribution of ' ^q 

Land tracts in Ohio. . q2 

Land values, equalizing of ^^^ 

Mail-route, first on Reserve 111-114 

Men of Reserve in Public Office • ^^ 

•' White, early on Reserve 105-107 

Mormons ;j^q4 

Moravians 30.60.64-66 

Nature, beauties of, on Reserve ^^^ ^^^ 

Newberry, John Strong ' ^g 

New Connecticut, Capital of ^^ 

Paine, Gen. Edward ^q 

Parallelogram, Reserve 03 

Park man, Francis, works of ^19, 26,27 

Pontiac 125-127 

Railroads, on Reserve • " ' * io4-107 

Religion on the Reserve ^^ 

Reserve, birthday of 



134 THE WESTERN RESERVE. 

Reserve, center of 59 

climate of 66-68 

corner of, southeast. ... 99 

first house on 101 

products of 68-71 

prominent men, residents of 114-118 

settlement of, early 101-104 

townships of 44, 45 

Rice, Hon. Harvey 6, 108, 122 

Rigdon, Sidney 105 

Rogers, Robert , • . 25 

Sawmill, first on Reserve 103 

Schools of Reserve, first on 108 

Sects, Religious 104, 105 

Seminaries and academies on Reserve 109 

Settlements in Ohio 14 

Smith, Joseph 106 

Spaulding, Solomon 106 

Surnames, lists of : 

Benefactors of the Reserve 118-1 ?3 

Connecticut Land Company 90 

Men of Reserve in Public Ofiace 111-114 

Prominent men, once residents of Reserve 114-118, 123, 124 

Surveyors of the Reserve 97 

Surveyors, the landing of 96 

" their celebration of July 4 98 

Titles to Land, conflicting 20, 30 

" clearing of 91 

" first clear. 30 

Townships, classed as to value 93-96 

' ' equalizing 92 

Townshpis, names of 58 

Trumbull, Jonathan 14 

Trumbull County, the original 15 

" *' government in early 15, 102 

Walworth, John 16 

Whittlesey, Col. Charles 6 

Wright, G. Frederick, work of 85, 117, 131 



CHAPTER II. GENEALOGICAL 



The People of the 

Western Reserve of Connecticut. 

Their Lineages Traced to Ancestors 

Who Emigrated to Annerica 

Early in the 

Seventeenth Century. 



GENHAIvOOICAIv. 



PROSPECTUS. 

Chapter II. is proposed as a second volume of the Story 
of the Western Reserve of Connecticut. The ancestry of 
our people should be better known. An intimate knowledge 
of lines of descent will reveal pleasant relationships, and 
thus widen our acquaintance with one another. The book 
comprising Chapter I. has described a territory occupied 
by about three-quarters of a million inhabitants, and if the 
people are interested in their own genealogy, and will 
furnish the record of their lineage traced to the early 
settlers on the Reserve, the author will assume the work 
of continuing the record back to emigrant ancestors, if it 
be traceable. This is a duty we owe posterity. The volume 
proposed would contain much information in a small space; 
its contents would be true to record ; and its price the 
lowest consistent with its purpose. The expense could not 
be definitely guaranteed beforehand, as it would depend 
upon the number of copies in demand. The three items 
entering into the expense of manufacturing a book are : 
Setting the type, printing and covering the volume, and 
the cost of the material used. The first enters once for all ; 
hence, the greater the number of copies made from one 
type-setting, the smaller the cost per copy. The lineages 
outlined below are a meagre illustration of what may be 



II GENEAI^OGICAI^. 

done. The book would be large enough for detailed infor- 
mation, to include leading events, with dates, places of 
residence, and personal history. Lineages of husbands 
and their wives through the generations, would appear in 
parallel columns on the same page. 

The lineage of an early settler is of interest to all his or 
her descendants. When sending a record, therefore, a 
subscriber may be able to guarantee the sale of more than 
one copy of the book, the number depending upon the 
interest manifested by such descendants. Blank pages 
will furnish space in which purchasers may record such 
lines of descent as do not appear in print. There are 
doubtless a hundred people of the Reserve whose ancestry 
may be traced to some of the persons named in the illus- 
tration. A volume containing the lineages of a hundred 
early settlers, probably ^vould not exceed three dollars in 
price, provided the sales reached a thousand copies. This 
estimate is intended to cover the labor of compiling the 
work, the disbursements, and the expense of mailing. The 
author engages to perform his work with fidelity, and at the 
lowest possible cost ; but whether the proposed volume is 
prepared will depend wholly upon the interest sliOAvn 
by the people of the Reserve, in whose behalf the proposi- 
tion is made. 

Directions : 1. Send to the author as complete a record 
as possible, of your descent from an early settler, on the 
Reserve, either of your own, or of a different family name. 
Continue the record as far back as you can, giving dates 
and full names. Help on the work by giving all the in- 
formation you possess. If the names of the brothers and 



GENKAI.OGICAI,. Ill 

sisters of the settler are given, it will help many to connect 
lineages with the line traced. 

2. Every contributor to the genealogy must agree to take 
at least one copy of the book. The more copies sold, the 
less the cost per copy. Name the price you are willing to 
pay for a satisfactory work, relying upon circumstances as 
specified, to determine the exact cost. 

Address:— ^\^\Y 1 to Sept. 15, North Madison, Lake 
County, Ohio. 
Sept. 15 to July 1—352 Clifton Place, Brook- 
lyn, N. Y. 



LIN EAGES. 

CLEAVELAND, Moses, was son of 

Aaron and Thankful (Paine) Cleaveland, son of 
Josiah and Abigail (Paine) Cleaveland, son of 
Josiah and Mary (Bates) Cleaveland, son of 
Moses and Ann (Winn) Cleaveland. Moses came from Ipswich, 
Suffolk County, England, in 1635, at the age of 11. He was apprenticed 
to a " joyner " for whom he worked to pay his passage to America. 

CHAMPION, Esther (wife of Moses Cleaveland) was daughter of 
Henry and Deborah (Brainerd) Champion, son of 
Henry and Mehetabel (Rowley) Champion, daughter of 
Moses and Mary ( ) Rowley, son of 

Moses and Elizabeth (Fuller) Rowley, daughter of 
Matthew and Frances ( ) Fuller, son of 

Edward and Ann ( ) Fuller, who came from Ley den, 

Holland, in the May floorer, 1620. 



IV GENEAI^OGICAI,. 

Moses Cleaveland's children left do descendants of his family name. 
The following early residents of the Reserve are selected for the purpose 
of illustrating the origia of our people. They all left descendants here, 
and such facts as are recorded of these settlers might be collected concern- 
ing ten times as many people in each county of the Reserve. 

GARFIELD, James Abram, was son of 

Abram and Eliza (Ballon) Garfield, son of 
Thomas and Asenath (Hill) Garfield, son of 
Solomon and Sarah (Stimson) Garfield, son of 
Thomas atd Rebecca (Johnson) Garfield, son of 
Thomas and Mercy (Bigelow) Garfield, son of 
Benjamin and Elizabeth (Bridge) Garfield, son of 
Edward and Rebecca ( ) Garfield, who came to Water- 

town, Mass. , where he was a freeman in 16^5. 

JANES, Alonzo, of Eist Cleveland, was son of 

Obadiah and Harmony (Bingham) Janes, son of 
Ebenezer and Sarah (Field) Janes, son of 
Jonathan and Jemimah (Gra'^es) Janes, son of 
Samuel and Sarah (Hinsdale) Janes, son of 
William Janes, who came to America in 1637, and settled at 

New Haven. 

LATHAM, Royal Robbins, of Madison, was son of 

Nathaniel and Jane (Robbins) Latham, son of 

Levi and Hannah (Alden) Latham, daughter of 

Eleazer and Sarah (Whitman) Alden, son of 

Eleazer and Martha (Shaw) Aldec, son of 

Joseph and Hannah (Dunham) Alden, son of 

Joseph and Mary (Simmons) Alden, son of 
John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden, both of whom, with Pris- 
cilla's parents, came in the Mayflower, 1620. 
NEWBERRY, Henry, of Cuyahoga Falls, was son of 

Roger and Eunice ( Ely ) Newberry, son of 

Roger and Elizabeth (Wolcott) Newberry, son of 

Benjamin and Hannah (Dewey) Newberry, son of 

Benjamin and Mary (Allyn) Newberry, son of 
Thomas Newberry, who was a proprietor at Windsor, Connecti- 
cut, as early as 1634. 



PAINE, Gen. Edward, was son of 

Stephen and Deborah (Skinner) Paine, son of 
Stephen and Mary ( Brintnall ) Paine, son of 
Stephen and Ann (Chickering) Paine, son of 
Stephen and Niobe ( ) Paine, who came from Nor- 

folk County, England, in 1638, and settled first at Hingham, Mass., then 
at Rehoboth in the same state. Moses Cleaveland and Edward Paine were 
descended from different ancestors named Paine, but who were doubtless 
related. 

PLYMPTON, Rev. Billings Otis, a Methodist clergyman, well known 
in the Reser ve for more than fifty years, was son of 
Elisha and Bassheba (Hitchcock) Plympton, son of 
Elijah and Mary (Cheney) Plympton, son of 
Daniel and Deborah (Smith) Plympton, son of 
John and Susannah (Draper) Plympton, son of 
John and Elizabeth (Fisher) Plympton, son of 
John and Jane (Dammin) Plympton. John came to Roxburv, 

Mass., at the age of 14, as a servant of George Alcocke, by whose Mill he 

was released in 1641. He probably worked his passage to America. He 

settled at Dedham, Mass., about 1642. 

WILLIAMS, William Wheeler, of Newburgh, was son of 
Joseph and Eunice (Wheeler) Williams, son of 
John and Mary (Knowlton) Williams, eon of 
Joseph and Mary (Fuller) Williams, daughter of 
Samuel and Jane (Lothrop) Fuller. Samuel came in the May- 
flower in 1620 with his parents, Edward and Ann Fuller. The common 
ancestry of this Williams family and the descendants of Esther (Champ- 
ion) Cleaveland is observable in the Fuller family. William Wheeler 
Williams was a brother of Joseph Williams of the Connecticut Land Com- 
pany. Roger Newberry (father of Henry) was of the same company. 
Pages could be written on the family relationships of the pioneers of New 
Connecticut. 

A noble ancestry presages a worthy posterity. The people of this 
lovely land lack nothing of incentive to high purpose, if lineage has any 
significance. To fulfill, and even to exceed, the promise of our ancestry, 
and to increase this obligation upon the generations to come, should be the 
ambition of all Americans. 



JUL 11 1900 



